One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time
by Dixie Darlin
Summary: Real World AU. Life is hard enough without playing guardian to a narcissistic Disney villain. Behold, the misadventures of myself and a certain racer as we tackle the world around us and I try to keep my sanity. (related to my "Have Some Candy" one-shot) (Other Disney characters starting at Ch. 13)
1. So I Guess He's Real

_A/N: Hello guys, welcome to my not-so-serious drabble-ish fic! Not going to be a regularly updated story, I'm just going to post when the inspiration hits me. Just something I'm doing for kicks and giggles. Might wind up rating this T later. Anyway, this is just some fun project about Turbo living with me in my tiny one-bedroom apartment and how we drive each other insane…mostly because HE starts it. This starts off prior to the events of "Have Some Candy" but will eventually move past it._

_Setting: Southern USA, large urban environment, sometimes will go out to more rural places when the situation calls for it. _

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**Late November 2012**

"Got anything to eat around here?"

That was the first thing he ever said to me. Not "hello" or "Hi, what's your name?" or "Nice to meet you!" or anything that a normal human being would say when they knock on your door at ten o'clock pm.

Then again, he wasn't exactly human…I think. I had to blink a few times because I thought I was hallucinating or in some kooky dream or that perhaps I had time-traveled backwards about a month to Halloween. He wasn't very tall, about five foot five, which is about two inches taller than me so he had to very slightly tilt his eyes down to look at me. The eyes in question were lemon yellow orbs with dark chocolate centers and he possessed a medium shade of gray as a skin color. A white jumpsuit with red stripes down the sleeves complete with a white driving helmet with a large red "T" on the front of it was his outfit. The smile was one that dripped with an air of condescending sarcasm, like he thought it was funny that he was disturbing me at an inconvenient hour.

Well, maybe not _disturbing_ me per se, seeing as how I'm a night owl as opposed to a morning person, so I tend to stay awake all night…blame my job.

Yep, I'm definitely imagining things because this costumed psycho at my front door was donning an impressive make-up of my newest favorite Disney character-slash-villain: Turbo from the latest Disney film, "Wreck-It Ralph".

I stood there staring at him for who knows how long before I could speak.

"What?"

Not the most impressive or interesting thing I could have said but, I mean come on really? I'm still shell-shocked that this is what I opened my front door to. The Turbo imposter rolled his eyes at me and proceeded to shove me out of his way to enter my living room, dumping what appeared to be a duffel bag over the back of my couch where it bounced a few times on the cushion.

"You deaf or something? I asked if you had anything to eat around here," he repeated his question as he took a quick look at his new surroundings. He didn't seem too impressed, and quite frankly I couldn't blame him. My apartment is far from a dump but it isn't exactly fancy-schmancy either. It looks like something ripped from the late 80's…yeah.

I continued to gawk and stare as he rounded my breakfast bar area that led into my small kitchen and I let the door swing shut slowly behind me, completely baffled that this creep that let himself inside like he did.

"Hey, _mister_, I don't know what the heck's going on, but you can't just waltz up in here like you own the place," I told him firmly, swiftly following him into the kitchen.

"Turbo" appeared to be ignoring me, which only further angered me, and he swung my refrigerator door open to check out its innards. He made a face that looked to be a mix of disappointment and disgust, then slowly let the door fall shut. After that, he started opening all my cabinets in search of food.

"Do you _mind_?!" I argue with him, having to go behind him to shut the doors again since he was leaving them open.

"Geez, what kind of place you runnin' here?" he asked me, not bothering to reply to any of my previous statements. "You've got barely enough food to feed a_ pigeon_ with!"

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to calm myself down in the presence of who was obviously an escapee from an asylum that went buck wild at some Comic-Con meet and then somehow ended up _here_.

"First of all, I haven't gone grocery shopping yet this week. Second of all, it doesn't matter because you are _leaving_."

I was a little unnerved when he laughed at my last comment and I began to think that maybe I should be heading for the phone and dialing 911.

"Listen, _blondie_-"

I interrupted him to tell him my name but he threw a hand in my face to get me to pipe down, which only irritated me further if that was even possible.

"As I was saying, _blondie_," he started over, smirking while he said the last part. "I had a heck of a trip getting here and I'm starving. So it would be wise of you to feed me, pronto."

"Dude, I don't even _know_ you!"

He grinned smugly while saying, "I'm Turbo, of course. Surely you recognize me."

I gave him a flat look. "I know who you're _dressed_ as, but you're not the real one. That's impossible."

"Not quite," he replied, turning to check out what was in my pantry, which doubled as the laundry room. "Wow, Mother Hubbard has more in her cupboards than _you_."

I was growing impatient and I felt my temper rise. "Look, _Turbo_"-I threw air quotes around the name-"if you don't get out of here in the next minute or two, I'm going to call the police and let _them_ handle it. Then you can eat their_ prison_ food."

The fact that this did nothing to wipe that stupid grin of his off his face only made me want to strangle him. Geez, what was it going to take to get rid of this nut job!

"Still don't believe me, huh?"

It wasn't really a question, as it was more than obvious that I wasn't buying his story. I crossed my arms in front of me, trying to look somewhat threatening even though there's no way I would win a fight against this creep if he were to turn suddenly violent.

"Of _course_ not," I snipped, drumming one set of fingers along the base of my elbow impatiently. "The _real _Turbo is an animated _fictional_ character from an animated _fictional_ movie."

His smile fell just a hair at hearing that and he placed a hand over his heart. "Ouch, that stings."

"Besides, even if you _were_ him, you'd be dead anyway because you _melted_ in _lava_."

"Turbo" cracked another grin upon hearing that and waved a hand at me in a dismissive manner. "Yeah, as much as _that_ sucked, I just reset at the end of the movie. Disney characters don't ever really die in their movies, you know."

I inspected him a little more. "Why aren't your teeth yellow?"

He shuddered at that, as if the very idea disturbed him. "Special effects added that in after. Thought it made me look creepier, I guess."

"Why don't you have a lisp?"

"That was _King Candy's_ way of talking, not mine." He sounded almost offended. "If I'd used my _normal_ voice, people would have recognized me immediately, don't you think?"

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?" I asked him bluntly, my eyes still lowered in a glare.

"So long as you have a_ question_ for everything."

He seemed to be enjoying making a mockery out of me and I personally am not one that wishes to be bullied. Dealt with that enough in junior high on up, thank you, and I don't need it from a delusional jerk pretending to be a Disney villain.

Then again, I don't feel like being a wise guy to someone that is potentially dangerous…who happens to be standing conveniently next to my set of sharp cooking knives.

I blew a hard breath out in exasperation. "Okay, fella, I'll admit that the paint job"-I grabbed his gray hand and sort of shook it a bit-"is convincingly real and that's an impressive mask you got on but-"

I stopped what I was doing as realization hit me. My eyes widened and I looked down to see that the guy only had…whoa, four fingers? And not like a hand that used to have five and then had one surgically removed or something, he literally only had four fingers. Just like in the movie.

My head began to feel a bit light and I felt the blood rushing out of my face. Before I knew what I was doing, I dropped his hand so I could grab him by his chin-

"Hey, no touching!"

-and inspected him for the edges of a mask and I'll admit I might have poked him in the nose much to his extreme displeasure. He jerked his head out of my grip at the same time he shoved my hand away, a rather annoyed look present on his face.

"Ever hear of personal space?" he snapped at me, rubbing his nose with one hand.

I ignored what he said because frankly I was still in shock. "You're really Turbo? No fooling?" I asked him slowly, still not able to believe this was happening to me.

"Of _course_, did you think someone would really go through all this trouble to paint themselves up to look like me?" he replied, talking down to me like I was some ignorant child.

Holy crap, I'm standing here in my small galley kitchen with a Disney villain…..one that in my opinion is one of the most dangerous ones, regardless of the fact that he happens to be my favorite. I'm not sure whether to be somewhat joyful that I'm actually meeting the guy, scared that he will end up killing me, or perhaps be worried about my mental health.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," Turbo said in an exasperated tone, as if he could read my mind about him potentially hurting me . "It would violate the terms of my probation if I leave a mark on you and I'm not really in the mood to go back just yet."

_Probation_?!

"Long story, you don't want to hear that right now," he added quickly after he saw the panicked look I was wearing, yet he continued to display an air of casualness as if nothing he had said or done since arriving was out of the ordinary. "So…you gonna feed me or what?"

* * *

I'm what you might consider a loner if you ever got the chance to meet me. I have maybe three friends that I actually talk to on a regular basis and even then I don't really go out and do anything with them. Not that I'm rude or anything, I just value my privacy. I like coming home and being by myself so I can unwind from the stresses of the everyday world. Besides they're busy with their own jobs or even kids, so there.

So the fact that I was now suddenly saddled with a houseguest did absolutely nothing to make me feel at ease. This was _way_ out of my comfort zone and I wasn't sure what the heck to do with him. One thing for sure, I was _not_ going down the road to Wal-Mart and going shopping this late at night (I prefer getting there at seven AM and being out in thirty minutes flat), so I ended up driving the guy to the 24-hour McDonald's.

Luckily, they keep their lobby open the entire time because there was no way I was sitting in my car at the drive-thru waiting for his majesty to decide what he wanted. Yeah, he'd never been to McDonald's before, go figure. I pretty much wound up just getting him a Big Mac with fries and a Coke since he didn't seem to know what to get.

Me? Yeah, I like their fries but not a fan of much else they have. I don't even like coming inside public places in general, as I don't do good in crowds. Even though the lobby was empty, I felt like all the workers were staring at us…okay, maybe not so much me as Turbo since he was so odd looking. Not sure if anyone recognized him as the movie hadn't been out but a few weeks.

Not that he was concerned that anyone was looking at him. He probably could've either cared less or basked in the attention. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd just started signing autographs right there on the napkins to hand out.

So there I sat at a booth in McDonald's across from a fictional movie character. How the heck was the possible? I couldn't fathom how this crazy scenario had taken place. Was it because I just started writing a fanfiction about him? Nah, couldn't be, I had written several of those in my life and none of _those_ characters had come knocking on my door. Thank goodness, I don't know how I'd feel if the entire cast of "Disney's Recess" among others had come for an extended visit.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard my houseguest suddenly proclaim, "You call this crap _food? _This is the nastiest thing I've ever eaten!"

I blinked a few times and saw that he was holding the Big Mac at an angle to demonstrate the amount of grease that was dripping off it. It _was_ rather gross, but as I said before I'm not a big fan of the burgers here.

"Will you pipe down?" I whispered to him, glancing over at the workers behind the counter and hoping they weren't hearing this. "No need to be rude about it."

"_BurgerTime_ had better food than this!"

I groaned silently in my head as his voice got louder and I tried to keep mine in a whisper. "You're going to get us thrown out, jerkface!"

"So _what_, it's not like we're coming back here," he grumpily told me and then that's when he did the unthinkable.

I watched in stunned shock and horror as Turbo stood up and _threw_ the offensive burger like a baseball towards the front counter where it made a sticky slap against the overhead menu board before sliding down and plopping onto the floor. My jaw was dropped and I couldn't even find the words to describe how embarrassed I was. I couldn't even get up out of my seat, he quite literally dragged me out of the booth, carrying the fries and drink with him (those he'd had no problem with) and started pushing me out the door towards the parking lot.

"That'll teach you to try clogging up _my_ arteries!" was his parting shot as we exited the building and I had one hand covering my face as humiliation swept over me. The entire way to the car he would not _shut up_ about the vile dinner he'd just been subjected to and by the time I had buckled up in my seat I was about ready to shove the rest of his fries down his throat and make sure he choked on them.

"I _cannot _believe you just _did_ that," I muttered as I rested my head on my steering wheel.

"Well, _I_ cannot believe you expected me to _eat_ that," he quipped back, shoving a few fries in his mouth in the process. "I haven't even known you for thirty minutes and you're already trying to kill me."

I laid back in my seat and gave him a hard glare. "Look, buddy, let's get one thing straight. You don't like something, you don't chunk it like a two year old. How old are you supposed to be anyway?"

Turbo slurped the rest of the Coke down and…ugh, he threw his garbage out the window for it to land in the next parking space. Great, I guess we're going to add _littering_ to his list of crimes.

"I dunno, about thirty I guess," he finally answered me as he let the seat back so he could lay down some.

"Then _act_ like one, you're a few years _older_ than _me_ for Pete's sake."

"Oh really, I thought you were like forty, Miss Prude."

"Don't make me get my can of mace out."

"What's that?"

How can he not know what…you know what, never mind.

"It's something that will melt your eyes right out of your sockets," I lightly fibbed, hoping that if he really thought I was threatening him that he would either start behaving himself or, better yet, _leave_.

He appeared to consider that for a few seconds then finally he relaxed back with his hands behind his head as if it were the most comfortable spot in the world. I watched him for a few seconds to make sure he wasn't going to do or say anything else then started the car up and began driving.

"I suppose this means you're still hungry?" I asked him with a hint of sarcasm tagged to it.

"You catch on fast."

I guess I'm going to Wal-Mart after all. Splendid. Perfect. Yee-haw. Turbo-freaking-tastic.

* * *

_Will I survive Wal-Mart? And will I find how just how he came to our world? More importantly, will I lose my sanity? _


	2. Curse My Southern Hospitality

_Big huge THANK YOU to whoever recommended my Benefactor one-shot to TV Tropes, you sir/madam are turbo-tastic! I was so ecstatic to finally get something on there! XD_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"What exactly does this store have?"

I gave Turbo a curious look as I pushed the buggy through the automatic entry doors to Wal-Mart. Was that a serious question? Apparently so, because he was giving me an equally serious look and sort of glancing around him like he wasn't sure what he was walking into.

"It has _everything_," I answered, turning my attention back to maneuvering the cart. "Anything you want, they probably have it."

I'll admit it was a bit amusing to see the awestruck look on his face when he heard that. I was slowly beginning to realize that he didn't know very much about the real world, especially since he didn't know anything about either McDonald's or Wal-Mart. It made me curious just how exactly Disney characters lives worked after their movies were over.

I directed the buggy down the first aisle of grocery items and just told him to pick whatever he wanted. His big yellow eyes lit up because we just so happened to be on the snack cakes and bread aisle. He immediately grabbed a box of chocolate cupcakes and hugged them to his chest, a genuine smile of happiness on his face, believe it or not.

"They have _chocolate_ here!"

It was like he transformed into a different person. He looked downright gleeful when he realized that this store contained chocolate, and I'll admit I cracked a bit of a smile myself. Maybe I _should_ have come here first rather than that "offensive" fast food restaurant. I made a mental note to myself that chocolate makes him happy. It might serve me well in the future.

"Yes, they do," I affirmed as he put it in the buggy, then I continued going down aisles. I was going to grab what I needed for myself since there was no way I was coming back in the morning, seeing as I was already here _now_.

"You know, I thought I'd get sick of eating sweets after approximately fifteen years in _Sugar Rush_, but I still _love_ chocolate."

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask. So did all that stuff in the movie really happen or were you all just actors reading from a script?"

Turbo grabbed some boxes of Rice-a-Roni and some Chinese looking stuff that I hoped he knew how to fix because I sure didn't. I'm more into pasta-based dishes myself.

"Oh, it really happened," he responded to me without losing track of looking up and down each shelf with scrutiny. "It's kind of hard to explain to outsiders. See, all the backstories for each character really exists within our own minds as if it really happened. All the things that we do in the movies are things that would naturally happen if we were really put in those situations. There's a camera on us the whole time but we don't know we're in a movie until it's over."

He makes crazy gestures with his hands when he gets to talking for long periods of time or explaining something, I learned.

"I bet that's rather baffling when you guys find out."

"It is at first," he nodded, throwing a few boxes of macaroni in the buggy. "But we adjust fairly quickly. Anyway, each movie has its own home world, see, so what you see in the movie is really there. We're all separated by portals and they all connect to a single hub called Disney World."

"The theme park?" I asked dubiously.

"No, a different one. It's kind of like a movie-wide Game Central Station, if you will. Usually that's where characters that aren't used in sequels, spin-offs, or television series go once their movie is over. Like _me_," he pointed at himself. "Since I'm officially dead, I really don't belong in my own home world so I got sent to live in Disney World. Other characters can visit too, of course, but they mostly live in their own worlds."

It reminded me a little bit of Kingdom Hearts in a way minus the whole key thing, but I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure if he'd get the reference or not. I wasn't sure how much of the actual Disney-verse he knew about since he was a fairly new character.

"So what exactly did you do while you were there?" I couldn't help but ask. My curiosity was rather piqued at this startling new information about the Wonderful World of Disney. I wonder if regular people like myself could go there?

His face fell and his voice got quiet as he responded, "Nothing. They wouldn't let me do anything. I was considered too dangerous to let out and about among everyone else, so they kept me locked up. A few other villains were there too, but not many. Not much fun being cooped up all day in a damp dirty cell."

_Well_…..that's not exactly what I expected to hear. In fact, that was just plain sad. I couldn't imagine being locked up in a cell all day with absolutely nothing to do and nobody to talk to. I'll confess that I started feeling pretty sorry for the guy.

"That doesn't sound like a very Disney thing to do," I finally commented.

"No, it's not," he agreed as he dumped a box of Pop-Tarts on top of our steadily growing pile…chocolate of course. "That's why I pulled off the "good boy" act just to get the heck out of there. I wasn't kidding about being on probation. I mess up _once_ and I get dragged back by the Mouse himself."

I blinked in shock. "_Mickey _Mouse?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Well, _yeah_, what other famous Disney mice do you know?"

"Minnie."

I received a glare for my smart-aleck remark. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you not want to hear the end of the story?"

"Okay, I'm listening, geez."

"So anyway, once I got out of there, I needed somewhere to go," he kept on. "I hopped in a teleportation machine and just punched some numbers in and then"-he held his hands out to signify the area around him-"here I am."

The story was rather bizarre but not quite as bizarre as an actual Disney character walking and talking alongside me in Wal-Mart. If _that_ was possible, who was to say that what he'd been telling me wasn't the truth?

"So you really don't have anywhere to go then?"

"Nope. Your door was the first one I came to."

Wow. It was like I was….I dunno, _chosen_ somehow to play guardian to this lost person. I couldn't very well kick him to the curb _now_, not after knowing that he was completely new to the real world and had nowhere else to go. I felt it my duty, maybe even my destiny to help him out, regardless of how insane he was driving me.

I considered what I was about to say next very carefully. I knew that I was about to give up any ounce of privacy that I possessed in doing this and that my life would very well be twisted upside down and into knots, but something told me that I was making the right choice.

I took a deep breath in and stated, "All right, you can stay with _me_."

Instead of a "thank you", I got a smug grin and a pat on the shoulder. "I knew you'd come around to my way of thinking eventually."

Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?

* * *

One thing I wished I'd known about Turbo before allowing him to be the first in the shower: he takes _long_ ones. I have no idea why any man would need to take more than ten or fifteen minutes in the shower unless he has long hair, but Turbo has really short black hair that he keeps in a slightly messy look. Yeah, I know, most people probably imagined him being bald but that's not the case.

Anyway, so when his highness finally exited the bathroom after an unbelievable forty-five minutes, the entire room was like a sauna. Steam practically rolled out the door when he opened it and he was whistling some kind of nonsense tune I didn't recognize as he finished towel-drying his hair. And yes, he has pajamas if you need to know, red pants with a white tee. That duffel bag he brought had pretty much the basics in it, like a couple sets of extra clothes and personal hygiene products.

My calico cat had finally decided to crawl out from her hiding spot under the bed, where she had been since we came back to my apartment. She's a bit spooked around strangers, see, and I was honestly expecting her to stay under there longer than she did. So consider me blown away when she wrapped herself around my new houseguest's ankles like she wanted him to pick her up.

I had a moment of panic thinking that he was going to kick her off him like my dad does sometimes and thus further traumatize her as far as strangers go, but he didn't. In fact, he picked her up and scratched her under her chin a few times and then gently put her down on top of the couch where she likes to sleep at sometimes. Okay, phew, I was genuinely relieved that I didn't have to worry about her forever hiding in fear while Turbo stayed with us, however long that would be.

_Finally_, I threw my stuff in the bathroom and was absolutely exhausted from the strange evening I'd had. Warm shower, here I come! I could hardly wait to get under that steady stream of-

_COLD!_

Holy _crap_, talk about _freezing!_ That…that…_jerk!_ He used up all the hot water! Oh, that little-

I hastily threw my big plush house robe on and stormed out where Mr. Long Showers had settled himself down on the couch and had managed to find a channel that was about to start a "Speed Racer" marathon. Go figure.

"This show any good?"

I was going to_ strangle_ him. "You used up all my hot water!"

"It'll come back after an hour or so," he remarked casually, not even bothering to look at me while he did so. My treacherous cat had curled up comfortably beside him but not close enough to actually touch.

"I don't want to wait an _hour_, I want to take a shower _now_!"

He tilted his head towards me just enough for me to see the smirk. "You _can _take one if you want right now…if you want to take a chance on catching a cold that is."

I shot daggers at him through my eyes and I had to walk away into the kitchen to keep from screaming obscenities at him. I could see the television from where I was and watched the opening credits of "Speed Racer", hoping maybe that would calm me down. I had to remind myself that he had been literally thrust into a prison of sorts ever since his movie's finale and quite possibly did not have any basic social skills…obviously.

He was definitely going to be a work in progress.

"So where am I sleeping at?" I heard him ask as I stood there thinking to myself.

"Right where you're sitting at," I replied dryly.

He turned his head to look at me. "Seriously?"

"Well you're certainly not getting in bed with _me_," I informed him, making that _very _clear right off the bat. "If _that's_ what you were thinking, prepare to be highly disappointed."

The look I received was that of…well I couldn't really tell what with the lights off in the living area so I'm not sure what kind of look he gave me. Probably one of contempt knowing _him_. Oh well, he just can stay that way, he is _not_ crawling in bed with me, no sir. I'm not going to feel _that_ sorry for him, I don't care if that prison cell he was in had_ roaches_ in it.

* * *

After finally getting my hot shower, I shut my bedroom door and cuddled up into bed. Turbo was still watching his "Speed Racer", which he decided he liked after only a couple episodes. While I had been waiting for the hot water to come back, I'd had to (of course) fix his dinner. I had to force him to learn how to fix mac-and-cheese for himself so he could do it on his own. It was absolutely amazing how little he knew about taking care of himself like this, almost like a child only he was a grown adult. Then again, he _was_ accustomed to pre-cooked meals so I guess I couldn't really blame him for not knowing.

So after about two hours of uninterrupted sleep, I felt a hard tap on my shoulder. It startled me, as I had almost forgotten that I was no longer alone in the apartment. It was pitch black in my room but the two glowing yellow eyes that hovered above me and to the side of my bed was all I needed to know who was there. It was a little creepy seeing them do that, especially when they were lowered into a glare.

"What do you want?" I groggily asked him, laying my head back down. "I already said you're not getting in this bed."

He scoffed at that. "Don't flatter yourself, I just want a pillow."

"There's two already on the couch."

"They're not _fluffy_," he insisted with a hint of a growl tacked on the end.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before using up all my hot water earlier."

"Fine, I'll just keep using it up."

"Fine, but you're not getting a pillow that _I'm_ already using," I countered back, still with my head resting on the two pillows I had piled up underneath.

"You're mean."

I sighed deeply, growing more tired as this went on. "And you're ungrateful. Get out of my room."

He kept quiet after that and I have no idea if he actually left or if he stood there glaring at me all night, hoping it would creep me out enough to make me surrender a pillow. Too bad, buddy, you lose this round.

* * *

_Next chapter might be a quick holiday thing (Christmas/New Year's)...I'm trying to go in chronological order from late November of 2012 and thought it'd be funny to do his first round of holidays...even if it is currently March while I'm writing this._


	3. A Turbo-Tastic Holiday Special

_Okay, for those asking, there WILL be other Disney characters showing up at some point in this (including WiR ones), but probably not for a good while. They don't even know where he is at this point, and he's trying to keep it that way. I have a legit reason for this, that will make itself known when the time comes._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**Late December 2012**

"You are _not_ staying here for a week by yourself."

Turbo's been living with me about a month now, which puts us at the happiest time of the year: Christmas! The real world isn't as big of a culture shock to him as it was when he first got here but there's still plenty he doesn't know about. At least he can somewhat cook his own food now and he's also gotten pretty savvy with electronics. Almost _too_ savvy...I don't exactly trust him with my laptop, let us say.

Anyway, I got stuck for the fifth year in a _row_ working both Christmas Eve _and_ Christmas Day, so I was going on my post-holiday trip to my parents house to celebrate that and also the New Year. Needless to say, I don't quite trust Mr. Sneaky to stay here at my place for an entire week without supervision. I get antsy just going to work all night and leaving him here for twelve hours.

Thing is...my folks don't know about Turbo yet. I kept meaning to tell them but, I mean, how exactly do you explain to your family that a _Disney character_ is living with you? I didn't exactly want to end up in the nuthouse, you know.

"I'm _not_ going," he was arguing with me, his arms crossed in front of him as he slumped down on my couch, which served a double purpose as his bed. And no, I still haven't shared my fluffy pillows with him in case you're wondering.

"_Yes_, you _are_," I replied firmly, getting annoyed at his stubborn streak. "Knowing you, you'd have the place burnt to the ground by the time I got back."

He shot me a withering glare and then focused his eyes back in front of him towards the television, probably wishing he was playing one of his beloved racing games that I bought for him. I blew a hard breath of air out and counted to ten in my head. I'd been packed and ready to go for like an hour now and I really hated wasting time. Before Turbo showed up, the last thing I would've had to do is throw the cat in her carrier and go.

"Okay, I'll bite. Why don't you want to go?"

He didn't bother to look at me. "I just don't, that's why."

"If you're too scared to go then-"

His eyes flashed angrily at that and he snapped his head towards me with an outraged expression. "Speak for yourself, _you're_ the one that doesn't like to go anywhere, fraidy cat."

Okay that kinda hurt. I don't like crowds or strangers so I get little panic attacks when I have to go into them. Let's just say malls on Saturdays, concerts, and festivals aren't my thing. When I go to the movies, I sit as far away from people as possible. I hate eating in crowded restaurants_._ I don't even like pulling up to a drive-thru if it's busy. So on and so forth.

He knew he hit a sore spot with me and I glared even harder at him while I jutted my finger towards the front door.

"Get...in...that...car," I growled slowly.

"NO."

"_GET IN THE CAR!"_

"NO!"

I felt like ripping my hair out. "What is _wrong_ with you, can you _please_ act like a normal person for the _freakin' holidays_?!"

He groaned and rolled his eyes at that. "What is the big deal about these _holidays_? Seems to me like some dumb excuse to waste your money on cheap decorations and buying stuff for people in hopes that they'll buy you something in return."

I was a bit taken aback by that but I regained composure quickly. "Gee, _Scrooge,_ maybe some people just like to see their family that they haven't seen in a while! Now if you don't grab your stuff and get in that car in the next five minutes, I'm going to break every one of those racing games of yours, take back my spare key, and kick you out of here _permanently_!"

I don't know if he really took my threats seriously or not but he didn't comment. We held a glaring contest for another thirty seconds or so until _finally_ he sighed in aggravation and looked away. Ha. That means _I_ win.

Then he asks, "Can I drive?"

"NO."

* * *

_Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose! And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glowed!_

"What kind of schmuck reindeer has a red nose?"

"What kind of schmuck _person_ has yellow eyes that glow in the dark?"

He shut up at that and turned his attention back to the window, watching the scenery fly by as we were on the interstate. My cat was in his lap, standing on his leg with her back paws so she could look out the window also. _Before_, I always had to put her in a carrier where she would incessantly meow, poop, pee, _and_ vomit the whole two hour drive to my parents' house. Fun times! _Now_, she can just sit in my passenger's lap and be happy staring out the window. Thank goodness they get along.

"This song reminds me of the glitch," Turbo whined as he continued staring outside.

"Why, because she got bullied by everyone? Thanks to _you_, I might add."

"Don't blame me, blame the people that wrote me to be an uncaring cad."

I hissed my breath through my teeth and gripped the steering wheel harder. He could be _so_ annoying sometimes!

"Just because they wrote you like that, doesn't mean you have to _stay_ like that," I pointed out to him as I put my blinker on to merge onto the exit.

He muttered something under his breath and I didn't bother asking him to speak up. We still had another hour to go now that we were finally off the interstate, going through a little small town and then on through the back country roads. This is where I feel more at ease, out in the country where I grew up. It's not all fields and pasture lands where my parents are, it's more like a quiet neighborhood with older houses with good-sized yards and trees everywhere. We have several acres of land out back with a big fishing pond and tons of pine trees that my dad hand-planted himself.

To get there though, we _did_ have to drive by a lot of empty space, like wooded areas, fields, large cow and horse pastures. So nice and serene. I hate the city with a passion but, what with the economy, I had no choice but to move out there for a job in my field.

"This is boring," said you-know-who, throwing his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes.

"It's _peaceful_ and _relaxing_," I corrected him gently, taking in as much scenery as I could, even if all the trees were barren of leaves. "I figured _you_ of all people would get a kick out of going on a long car ride."

"Yeah, if I'm the one _driving_," he smarted back. He's always wanting me to let him drive, but I just don't trust him with my car. Not to mention he doesn't have a license and I am _not_ getting thrown in jail for letting him drive without one.

"Sometimes it's better to let someone else take the reins, you know?"

"No, I _don't_ know."

_Sigh_. I really hope he behaves when we get to my folks' place.

* * *

I told Turbo to stay in the car while I grabbed my cat _and_ my keys (so he couldn't attempt to drive off in order to escape) and dashed inside, hoping that maybe everyone would either be asleep or out doing somethi-

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Holy crap, they scared me! Of course, the one time I want the house to be empty when I get there, _everyone_ is gathered in the living room waiting for my arrival. Kitty spazzed out and she immediately streaked to one of her hiding spots somewhere in the back of the house. Momma, Daddy, Sis and Bro were all looking at me with smiling faces.

Nice. Lovely. Perfect.

I looked around the living room and saw that it was decked out in Santa Claus decor as usual. I like gingerbread men decor myself, but Momma likes Santa and cardinals. Hopefully Turbo would appreciate the _red_, which was his favorite color of course.

"Look, I need to tell you something really crazy, and don't freak out but-"

Everyone's eyes went wide as they stared at something behind me and I stopped mid-sentence. I closed my own green-gold eyes and started mentally cursing as I slowly turned and saw that my houseguest had deliberately disobeyed me and come into the house without my permission.

"Geez, you people have _quite_ a fascination with this kooky old guy in the funny hat," Turbo commented as he studied the room. He looked both perplexed and annoyed with the decorations, not really understanding why everyone was so into this holiday.

My sister sat there on the couch in shock with a slight jaw drop, not knowing what to say. She was the only one that had seen the movie besides myself so she would naturally be the only person to know who he was. Everyone else had no clue whatsoever and just stared at him as Turbo just continued to wander about the room and then into the kitchen to look for something to eat. Finally Sis said,

"Is...is that...who I think it is?"

"_Yes_, that's Turbo," I told her with a forced smile, trying to act like this was natural. I quickly explained the situation as briefly as possible, trying to keep an eye on him the whole time while he piddled around in the fridge and then moved on to the rest of the kitchen.

I had expected them to not believe anything I'd said, but since they had visual proof _right there_ in the kitchen, they really had no choice. When I mentioned the Disney World place that Turbo had told me about, my sister's eyes lit up and a big smile crossed her face. She may be the serious one, but she's an even bigger Disney nut that I am.

"Oh wow, that would be awesome if we could go there!" She had this dreamy look on her face as she gazed upwards towards the heavens. "I'd love to meet Belle and Beast."

Her favorite characters, so you know.

"At least your mom knows how to keep a stocked kitchen," Turbo interrupted us, snacking on what looked to be a large piece of chocolate cake that had been sitting out. "Too bad you didn't take after _her_."

My mom poorly hid a chuckle behind her hand, earning a glare from me. My brother is the quiet one until you get him talking about something he's interested in, then he'll talk your ears off. Right now, he was occupied with staring at the strange looking person in our kitchen helping himself to our food. After snarfing down the cake, he asked casually asked where the restroom was and my brother dumbfoundedly pointed down the hall. After he disappeared, all eyes went on me and suddenly I felt very nauseated, smiling nervously.

Sis dragged me to the side and whispered, "Are you sure he's..._safe_? I mean, you know, given who he is..."

Sis wants to be an elementary teacher so she's a huge fan of little kids. Neither myself nor my two siblings have kids of our own so it's not like we had to worry about him pulling a stunt like killing any or other criminal activities, not that I think he would. He said so himself he was on probation and wasn't allowed to hurt people, or else it was back to the slammer...which I highly doubt he wanted to go back to.

"Yeah, he's fine," I reassured her. "I mean, he's annoying and kind of a jerk, but he's not gonna hurt anyone. Even Kitty likes him."

If Kitty likes you, that was like a sign from God that you were an okay person.

My sister's brows raised up high in surprise and said, "Really?" as if she was shocked that it was possible. My mother heard my comment and she reacted the same way, simply taking my cat's "word" for it. I swear, sometimes I think that woman likes the cat more than she does _me_. My father, however, _hates_ cats and was not about to trust mine for an opinion. He leaned forward in his recliner, his hands folded in front of him, and he looked at me intently the only way a father can.

"So...you're living with a guy now."

For the love of...I should have known my dad would say something like that.

"Daddy, please, it's not like he's my-" Ugh, I had to force the next word out through clenched teeth. "_Boyfriend_."

"That makes it sound worse than what it is."

I smacked my forehead. "For heaven's sake, he's not even technically _real_! He stays on the couch...and his eyes glow in the dark, you have any idea how creepy that is?"

My brother, the youngest of us and just recently turned twenty, perked up at this. "Really, they glow? Huh, I wonder how they do that?"

He's one of those people that likes to learn how things work and then figure it out for themselves with hands-on projects. His latest project is rebuilding an old Studebaker pickup truck from spare parts, everything scattered in our backyard much to my mom's embarrassment. She's very particular about appearances and never fails to point out if something is wrong with my own place, which I hear every time she comes over.

"I don't know, it doesn't matter," I snap unintentionally. "Look, guys, he's not familiar with anything in our world so he doesn't understand holidays or anything else for that matter. So please try to be nice, even if he's acting like a total jerkwad."

My dad shook his head almost as if he couldn't believe the direction my life was in. "Honey, you really need to stop being a doormat. Just kick him out if he's that much trouble."

Okay, I hate hearing life lessons that I already know. And NO I am not throwing him out...honestly, I'd feel really bad since he has nowhere to go. I'm not quite that mean...yet.

Thankfully, I was saved from having to comment by my mother suggesting we all go Day-After-Christmas shopping...I _hate_ sales. More people.

* * *

"Get out of the car."

"I am _not_ going in there."

"Yes, you are."

"I hate malls!" I argued childishly. My plan was to drop everyone off at the mall and then escape to some nice quiet park somewhere, despite the chilly weather.

Oh and guess who came along? Correct. Turbs was giving me the most snarky grin he could muster.

"Yeah, come on, _blondie_, get out of the car," he stated snidely. "You dragged me out of the comfort of home to come here, so deal."

My mom and sister were whispering something within my view but not within his, and I just _knew_ they were saying something about me. They think it's funny to joke about my somewhat anti-social ways. It's not that I'm not friendly, I just don't like crowds, for the millionth time. Besides, the public is full of jerks and cons. Can't trust anyone. Call me paranoid, but that's what the wonderful world of Life has taught me.

I broke the stare that me and Turbo were sharing, which meant _he_ won. Crap. I hate losing...unfortunately so does he.

* * *

I thought I was going to puke. Literally. If one more person bumped into me, I was going to rip all my hair out and run out of there stark raving mad. Mom and Sis of course were chatting away about the cute outfits in the windows and other such junk. I hate window shopping, I like to go in, see if I like something (when it's not busy of course), try it on, then buy and leave. Browsing is a "no-no" unless I'm in a nice little bookstore somewhere.

The Grinch in the white suit was enjoying my misery apparently because he kept poking me in the side to be funny. I would punch him if the mall security people weren't all over the place, prepared for crowd control.

People in the mall gave the Turbs crazy looks, mostly those with kids because they obviously recognized him but a few people had actually wanted _pictures_ taken with him. Yeah, he ate up the attention like a starving dog.

"Whoa, nice costume!"

"It's so realistic!"

"Are those contacts?"

So on and so forth. Some stupid chick who hadn't seen the movie pulled me to the side and said that maybe I should take my boyfriend to the doctor because he looked a little gray. If we hadn't been in public I would've choked her to death. Little did I know that I would be hearing the "boyfriend" thing more than I cared to in the future.

Then some guy that was selling bath salts at one of those vendor booths went up to him and said that maybe he'd like the medicated formula for his skin condition. Oh brother, I thought he was going to get in a fight with that guy, his face turned so red it was purple and I can honestly say I've never seen him look quite so outraged. I had to literally drag him away from that booth before he started screaming curses.

Thankfully, he lightened up in the Hallmark store which was a little too much fun for him. They had some Disney figures in there that he decided to play with like dolls, making them do and say stupid crap until I had dragged him away. He made Mickey "puke" on Minnie, for example. Moron. Then I had to forcefully put my hands in front of his eyes while passing the Victoria's Secret store, mostly because of _my_ embarrassment. He didn't seem to appreciate that, but oh well.

How "innocent" are Disney characters anyway? I have no clue and I am _not_ asking the one that I'm stuck with.

The next store was this Farmer's Almanac store, one of my favorites. They have a lot of random houseware and kitchenware stuff, including decor. Today, I wanted to kill whoever the manager was though. Because out of all the freakin' stores in this stupid place, this _had _to be the one where right above the doorway, they hung-

Turbo looked up as we walked through the doorway and pointed up. "What's that?"

Mom and Sis hadn't noticed, but of course Mr. Not-From-Around-Here did. I followed his gaze and nearly croaked on the spot, a cold sweat forming on my forehead.

"Oh! That's...that's uh..."

Sis walked back to us while Mom looked at some canister sets, and she had this really sneaky look on her face that I did not appreciate. "It's _mistletoe."_

Excuse me while I jump off a cliff.

Thank the stars, Turbo didn't know what the heck that was. "What's it hanging there for?"

"When a guy and girl walk under it, they're supposed to-"

"HUG!" I interrupted her somewhat loudly, then pointedly grabbed him in a forceful hug, squeezing him a bit too hard. "You _hug_ under it..ha ha."

I knew I was wearing a big nervous grin and was acting goofy but there was no way I was going to do what you were supposed to do under mistletoe with _him_. Forget it. The look he gave me was one of both annoyance and...yeah, I think I embarrassed him. He had this nice little shade of pink in his face coupled with a faint glare, but not as intent as the ones he usually gives me. Fine, whatever, consider this revenge for...everything he does that annoys me. So there.

* * *

My family was sitting around rewatching "It's a Wonderful Life" with good ol' Jimmy Stewart, but my houseguest notably decided to sit on the front porch in the swing. I wasn't sure what the deal was with that so I decided to be nosey. It was pretty frosty outside, even though it doesn't snow down here but it was still close to freezing.

And before anyone asks, yes, I _did _buy him a coat and gloves._ See_, I'm a nice person. I even got them in red.

He was sitting there with his arms crossed and just staring out across the front yard, which would be pitch black if not for the moonlight and the neighbor's private street lamp. Country roads don't have those unless someone puts one up in their own yard. Anyway, since he didn't say anything, I just sat there by him with my legs tucked up under me and a thick plush blanket around my shoulders.

"What's the matter?" I asked him to break the silence.

"What makes you think _anything's_ the matter?"

"Because you're out here being anti-social for one thing. I'm not asking that you like the family or anything, but you could at least attempt to be friendly."

He sighed deeply. "There's nothing wrong with your family. I just...feel weird being around them, that's all."

I was a little confused by that. He's not exactly someone I take for being shy around people. "What do you mean?"

He appeared aggravated that I wasn't understanding him, but he's not one that usually gets straight to the point so I _have_ to ask for clarification. "What do you _think_ I mean? I'm not used to being around a family. I don't have one so it's just a little weird for me."

Ohhhh. I...never thought of that. Okay, I kinda feel bad about dragging him out here.

"Why the heck didn't you say that this morning when I asked why you didn't want to come out here?"

"I didn't think you'd understand," he glared at me.

"No need to get upset about it. You never tell me anything unless I drag it out of you. Now, what is this about you not having a family? I figured those two other drivers from _TurboTime_ would be that for you."

The glare went away and it was replaced with more of a sad look, still mixed with his usual annoyance at whatever the conversation was about. I take it that he wasn't really prepared to talk about this but since I asked he was going to tell me anyway.

"I don't have any memories of them," he told me quietly. "I wasn't created with that much backstory except for what was told in the movie. All I remember is that I used to race against them in the game, then that new game showed up and I got jealous, then I crashed it. That's about all the backstory I have, and so that's all I remember," he shrugged. "It's not very detailed."

Wow. Okay, so...wow, being a fictional character kinda sucks. He quite literally had no previous life, that he can remember, before the actual events of the movie? Then afterwards, he gets shoved in a prison? Crap, no wonder he's so crabby. I'd be grouchy all the time too if that was my life.

"Well..." I wasn't entirely sure what to say. "You can...you can think of _me_ as family, I guess. Since I'm pretty much the only person you know. And you can think of the rest of my family as yours if you want."

He didn't reply right away, just sat there looking out at the yard still. I don't think he even knows what he means to _have_ a family, so I wasn't sure it meant anything to him. After about a minute, he finally said,

"Thanks."

I managed to smile. "You're welcome. Consider it your Christmas gift."

"Well, I didn't get you anything."

"I didn't expect you to."

"Good. I'd hate to disappoint you."

* * *

So it's finally New Year's! We were heading back home to my "cozy" apartment in the morning so we were going out with a bang. Fireworks! We had to drive out to a field closeby one of my uncle's places so we wouldn't catch any trees on fire; by "we" I meant myself, Turbs, Daddy, and Bro. Mom and Sis aren't really into going outside and being in the extreme weather so it was just me and the boys. Woo-hoo.

Thankfully, Turbo and Bro got along pretty well. Once my little houseguest found out that Bro was trying to build his own truck, that pretty much sealed a friendship right there. Bro was glad to have someone around that liked talking about cars and trucks as much as he did.

Anyway...whee! Fireworks! All different colors going up in the air, exploding in the night sky and muting out the stars.

"You got a New Year's Resolution, Turbs?" I questioned as we sat on the tailgate of my dad's truck.

He gave me this dubious look, which made me feel pretty stupid. Right, he doesn't know what those are. I keep forgetting for some reason just how little he knows.

"It's something that people do at the beginning of the year that's like a goal for them to reach," I explained. "Like, something you want to accomplish before the _next_ new year."

"What's the point in that?"

"I dunno," I shrugged. "It's just tradition. Most people don't follow up on them, but it's something fun anyway. So what would your goal for the year be?"

He continued to give me this sort of withering stare like he didn't approve of me being so insistent.

"And don't say something smart-aleck like 'my goal is to take over the world'," I added, doing a poor impression of a man's voice on the last part.

He lowered his eyes at me, like he was somewhat insulted. "Why don't you tell me _yours_ first?"

"But I asked _you_ first."

"You're not setting a very good example."

"You're a _grown man_, you don't _need_ an example."

He rolled his eyes and looked away for a minute to say something under his breath that I dare not repeat. "Can you just tell me?"

I groaned loudly, knowing he was going to continue to be difficult, and said, "Fine, I resolve to not lose my sanity. Your turn."

He gave me a blank stare. "That's a weird goal."

"Not when you have a ungrateful whiney jerk for a houseguest," I replied pointedly, giving him a little glare. "_Your _turn."

"You're very rude."

"Look who's talking!"

I swear, he makes my blood pressure rise. Why do I bother engaging in conversation with him? Or trying to share some of the many aspects of social life with him? Or heck, allow him into my private life? He's so...I don't even know what he is, I'm tired of using the words "annoying" "aggravating" and "irritating".

"Fine, I guess mine is not ending back up in prison." He crossed his arms in a haughty manner. "Happy?"

"Geez, talk about weird goals."

"Hey, you asked," he responded grouchily. "_You're_ the one the started this whole thing."

I hissed my breath through my teeth. "You are the most _aggravating_ person I have _ever_ met."

He smirked at me. "Good, glad to live up to standard."

Sweet pajama-wearing monkeys, this was going to be the longest year of my life. I _really_ hope I can keep my sanity by the time it's over.

* * *

_This turned out longer than expected. lol._


	4. In Which Turbo Doesn't Die

_This one's really short, sorry._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

It was a dark and stormy night.

Ha, I always wanted to write that.

Anways, no seriously, it was a dark and stormy night. The wind was howling, the trees were bending over, and leaves were flying all over the parking lot outside the apartment complex. I managed to finally beat his majesty to the bathroom before he used up my hot water again and got my nice relaxing shower in. He was currently sitting in front of the television watching some more "Speed Racer" and I could just barely hear it with the shower on, so that meant he had the volume way up. How does he not go deaf?

I had just finished drying off and throwing my pajamas on plus my house robe when-

_CRACK-A-BOOM!_

-the lights went out. Everything instantly went dead quiet and I'll admit I got a little spooked at first, as it was unexpected. I blindly dug around in my bathroom drawers for an emergency flashlight and that's when I heard Turbo _screaming_ for me.

Yeah, he was _screaming, _not like he was angry either, he sounded really freaked out. And this is _Turbo_ we're talking about, he doesn't get scared at all. So when I heard this, naturally I panicked thinking that something _really _bad must have happened to get him to start hollering for me like that.

In my hurry, I accidentally rammed my face in the bathroom door and was pretty sure I was going to have a bruise on my nose later. I tripped and stumbled around to make my way through my bedroom (which the bathroom was located in) with my dinky little flashlight as a guide. The only thing I could see in the pitch dark was Turbo's glowing eyes and...dang he looked really freaked out.

_Surely,_ he's not scared of the dark, is he?

"Turbs, what's the matter?" I asked in alarm, bolting to the couch as fast as I could and sat by him.

He was nearly on the verge of hyperventilation and he sort of blinked at me as if confused and looked around him where my flashlight had illuminated some of the living room.

"I didn't die?"

_What?_ I cocked a brow and gave him a funny look. "No..."

He sighed harshly and put a hand to his heart as if to calm it down. "Holy mother of Walt, I thought I died there for a minute!"

What in the Sam Hill...

"Uh...you're going to have to explain that one," I said slowly, still looking at him like he was crazy.

My ignorance to his supposed dire situation seemed to irritate him since he gave me a glare from the side but he didn't argue with me about it.

"Remember in the movie how I explained when the game gets unplugged and you're still in it, you die?" he asked of me, referring to the "what if?" scene about Vanellope being trapped in the game with her glitch status and dying with it.

I nodded slowly, not sure where this was going. "Yeah?"

"Same thing happens if the power goes out for long periods of time," he explained, startling some when another crash of thunder sounded. "At least, so I've been told. It's only for our specific world though, if it had happened in the movie or in the supposed sequel, that is."

I perked up and got excited hearing that. "Wait, there's a sequel coming?"

"Hey, I'm in distress here!" he snapped at me.

"Oh, sorry. Um...you okay now? I mean, since you're not dead and all?"

"Of course, I'm fine!" he growled, grabbing the flashlight from me. "I'm not a baby!"

"I never said you were," I assured him calmly. "I just wanted to make sure you were fine. You scared the crap outta me screaming like that."

Turbo was busy shining the light at various corners of the room, almost as if he'd never played with a flashlight before. Maybe he hadn't, I don't know. The rain was coming down harder than before and I could feel a slight chill in the room thanks to the heater being off now.

"Sorry," he muttered barely where I could hear him.

Wow, did he apologize? Consider me blown away.

"Thanks for checking on me," he added in a strained voice, like he felt stupid saying it.

"You're welcome," I smiled warmly. It was kind of nice having him act normal. Maybe I'm a good influence after all.

I saw him flash a grin and then he shined the light right in my face, forcing me to throw my hands in front of me and turn my head.

"Ow! Don't blind me!"

"Hehe."

Well, that didn't last long.


	5. The Worst Patient Ever

_Hecate: lol well I'm practically nocturnal since I work graveyard shift, so if anyone shows up at my door at that time, I'm already awake anyway and would assume it is a friend or family member, since they know my sleeping habits. So, yeah I would probably answer the door if someone knocked at 10 pm.  
_

_Kapra: Thanks, glad to hear that! Just make sure to do your own thing and not borrow to much from mine when you get to working on yours. A lot of my real personal life is in this so it'd be weird to see someone use too much of it lol._

_Apple: No, no dead rats! *eww* Live ones don't bother me though, I'm weird and think they're cute. I'm a nut for animals.  
_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I was snug as a bug in a rug, all cuddled up in my warm blankets and thick comforter and fluffy pillows. I was having this nice little dream about riding a rollercoaster at Disney World (the theme park, not the real one) when I woke up to someone gently shaking my shoulder. I woke up gradually and I rolled over to peek up at a pair of tired looking yellow eyes glowing at me.

Okay, two things were wrong here. First of all, Turbo never _gently _wakes me up; he either kicks my bed or taps me really hard. Second of all, even though all I could see were his eyes, they looked really sad. Not angry or bitter, just sad and pitiful. That in itself was weird. So instead of getting gripey at him for waking me, I repositioned myself to sit up in bed.

"What's wrong?"

He sniffled and quietly replied, "I don't feel right. And I can't get warm."

Oh dear.

"Watch your eyes," I warned him and I blindly reached up to grasp at the cords dangling from my ceiling fan so I could switch the light on.

Holy crap, he looked terrible! His eyes were all red and puffy and his nose was kinda runny, which he was constantly using a tissue to dab at. He was all bundled up in two of his blankets I gave him plus his houserobe plus pajamas. Even though he had all that on, he was still shaking like a leaf.

I reached a hand out to feel his forehead and he had enough spark in him to jerk back and glare at me.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking for fever, calm down," I informed him before proceeding with the activity.

I expected him to slap my hand away or move back some more but I guess he felt bad enough to just obey me. Man, he was burning up! Oh boy, um...can Disney characters take "normal people" medicine? I wasn't sure and to be honest I didn't feel comfortable even giving him plain ol' Tylenol. To make sure he really did have a fever, I got up off the bed and went in the bathroom to first pop my contact lenses in so I could see what I was doing better then dug around for a thermometer.

"Open your mouth," I instructed him, standing in front of him now.

He gave me another glare but since he was sick it wasn't that intense of one. "Why?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just do it!"

He sighed and did as he was told and I put the thermometer in. "Now close it and don't talk or touch it or anything."

I got a growl for a response but he sat on the edge of the bed and did what I said, wrapping his arms around himself to better keep the blankets on him. I eventually took the thermometer out and...holy mothballs, 104.4 farenheit? That's really freakin' high! I wasn't about to chance just giving him some Tylenol and then waiting to see if it worked, I needed to get him to a doctor.

"Turbs, I'm gonna have to take you the hospital," I told him as I hopped back in the bathroom, closing the door behind me so I could get somewhat decent for going out of the house.

"Hospital?" He didn't sound like he approved of that idea.

"It's okay, I'll take you to the one I work at," I assured him, even though somehow I knew I was going to regret subjecting my co-workers to him. I had a feeling Turbo wasn't going to be the easiest patient.

And no, I'm not a nurse.

* * *

The trip to the hospital was surprisingly quiet. Turbo didn't fuss about not being the one to drive and he didn't fiddle with the radio. All he did was curl up with the heater blowing on him full force and keep his head down with his eyes closed. He looked so pitiful and I felt bad there wasn't anything I could do to make him feel better. I know when you have a fever you're not supposed to bundle up like he was doing but I wasn't about to argue with him about it.

We finally made it to the waiting room which since it was like three in the morning was empty. Hallejulah, I couldn't imagine waiting for two hours for a room, especially with Mr. Whiney with me. He'd go nuts if he had to sit next to some other sick people. I plopped him in a seat and told him to wait there while I went to find the triage nurse, who thank goodness was someone I get along with.

"First of all, have you seen that movie '_Wreck-It Ralph'_?"

She gave me a funny look but said, "Yeah, why?"

"Well..."

I pointed at Turbo through the little triage room's window and she kind of started back then looked at me, then looked at him again, then back at me.

"Is that..."

"Yep."

"But how..."

"Trust me, you don't really want to hear it."

So Triage Nurse wasn't sure what to do with him. Turbo seemed annoyed by someone having to touch him to take blood pressure and all that stuff. Haha, he weighs 145 pounds by the way, hehe. To be funny, when filling his paperwork out for him, I put the country of Litwakia, hahaha. Let them try to find _that_ on a map. The admitting clerk that files paperwork cocked a brow at me when I handed it to her and I just shrugged and said it was a small country near Greenland, where everyone has gray skin due to the weather. Since she hadn't seen the movie yet, she fell for my make-believe answers.

Heck, I even made up a birthday. For the month and day, I just put the movie's premiere date then since I guessed him at age thirty, I just put year 1982 (which works canonically since according to Disney Wiki, _TurboTime_ came out in 1982). I had to file him under my own insurance since he obviously doesn't have any. Oh and his new last name? I put "Time", get it? Because of _TurboTime_? Haha...yeah, I'm having too much fun with this.

So anyway we got in a room and I had to practically make him get on the stretcher bed provided while I took a seat in one of the guest chairs. Nurse that I don't particularly care for comes in and gives me a really bizarre look, and all I could do is casually shrug as if this is all out of my hands.

"You need to get in a gown," Nurse tells him, as he is still all bundled up like an Eskimo.

Get this. Turbo flashed her an angry scowl and literally growled at her like a dog. I can't make this up. I had to hide my face behind my hands to keep from laughing, because I really hate this nurse, okay. If anyone deserves getting growled at, it's her. She looked kind of freaked out and I got a hold of myself enough to say,

"Turbs, do what she says."

That earned _me_ a glare as well. "It's _freezing_ in here, are you crazy?"

I tried to remember that he didn't feel good and I had to agree that it was in fact freezing in here; all hospitals stay cold in order to keep germs from growing rampant. Also, these gowns are pretty...well, skimpy. I don't know about anyone else but I wasn't about to fight with him to put a gown on that leaves your assets hanging out.

I glanced at Nurse and suggested, "Can't he just leave his pj's on? I can tell ya right now, he's not putting that gown on."

She gives me this exasperated look and it made me feel like I was wasting her time.

"Whatever, just do what you want," she grumbled, obviously not in the mood to argue. Fine with me.

Anyway, I managed to get Turbo to relinquish his blankets and house robe, leaving only pajamas on him. It wasn't easy, he definitely fussed a good bit about it. He looked so dang miserable sitting there on the stretcher bed trying to rub his arms to keep warm and failing to do so, that I was almost tempted to give him one of the blankets back. However, I knew that would be the bad thing to do, since that would only make the fever _worse_.

The nurse was only allowed to give him a little Tylenol, which I felt better about_ her_ giving to him in case he had an allergic reaction to it. Thankfully, he took it without any problems so hopefully his fever (which was now 103 degrees Fahrenheit) would go down some more.

Finally the doctor came in and I prayed that it would be the one that got people in and out within thirty minutes and not one of the ones that kept people for two hours and…..ah, crap. The one that looks cracked out all the time waltzed in at his usual lumbering pace, with his bedhead hair and red eyes and overall blank expression. He seriously looks like he just crawled out of bed and came here half-asleep.

He rolled in and washed his hands before turning around and startling when he saw what his patient looked like.

"What in the name of-"

"Hello, doc!" I greeted him with an overly enthusiastic voice, hoping to distract him from saying anything potentially insulting. Doc recognized me and blinked a few times in confusion, then darted his eyes back and forth between the two of us before signaling me with his finger to "come over here". I went out the door with him and he shut it, then asked,

"What in God's name was that?"

"Well…long story."

So for what felt like the hundredth time in my life, I explained the whole Disney thing. Doc just stared at me like I was talking under the influence but when I was done, he simply nodded, said "okay" and opened the door back up. I think it still weirded Doc out to be examining someone that had gray skin and yellow eyes, since the only time that happens is if the person has one foot in the grave or _is_ already dead. Turbo didn't seem to approve being prodded on by a complete stranger but he didn't argue since he felt too bad. Unbelievable, I know.

"All right, since we don't know where the fever's coming from, we're going to have to do the works."

Ugh, we're going to be here _forever_. When a doctor says that, that means he's going to get blood work, a chest x-ray, and possibly a urine sample. If he were having chest pain or heart palpitations, he'd be getting an EKG too, but we didn't have to worry about that. Great, I can't _wait_ to see his reactions to all this mumbo-jumbo.

The x-ray chick walked in, who (like everyone else) was surprised to see me there along with someone that was supposedly fictional (she had seen the movie with her step-kids), and I just shook my head at her to silently ask her not to inquire how this phenomenon happened. She thankfully did the x-ray there in the room so we didn't have to go anywhere so that was over within two minutes.

But to borrow a line from another favorite Disney movie of mine, "The Fox and the Hound", "that's not the part you gotta worry about". No, the part to worry about was the phlebotomists showing up (or "vampires" as we like to call them) with their pointy needles and draining the poor guy of blood. I doubt he'd ever been stuck before but I figured if he could handle getting incinerated by a broiling hot diet cola lava fountain, I figured he could handle a little bitty needle.

Boy, was I wrong. The second that sweet old lady took out that needle, Turbo's eyes got _huge_ and he must've felt about ten times better than before because he literally leaped off that bed and into my lap. It was quite jolting to have a full grown person that weighed about thirty-five pounds more than me suddenly jump on me like that.

"Get off me!" I demanded in a peeved voice as I tried to push him off but he had his arms around my neck in a death grip so that was quite a chore.

"Don't let her stick me with that thing!" he was begging me, keeping his petrified eyes on the lady the whole time and trying to curl his legs up in my lap like he was a little kid.

I was vehemently pushing against his chest with both arms and then switched over to trying to pry his arms from around me. "Turbs, it's not going to hurt but for a second! It's just a small prick, I promise!"

Sweet Old Vampire Lady looked sympathetic and said, "I can see if you can have a lollipop if it will make you feel better."

I would've laughed if I hadn't had my hands full with a grown man having a panic attack on top of me. Add _this_ to my list of "Crazy Things That's Happened to Me".

"Turbs, _please_, you're crushing me!" I pleaded with him. I started trying to scoot my chair up closer to the bed to see if I could at least push his butt back on the bed but he was pretty insistent on staying where he was. "If you can survive car crashes and volcanic explosions, you can survive a needle stick, so _get off!_"

"Oh my, you've been in a volcanic explosion?" the phlebotomist asked with a horrified expression. "Is that why your skin's gray?"

If Turbo hadn't been concentrating on keeping himself away from that needle, he might would have started cursing her for insulting his skin color. I just muttered "yes" to keep her from asking any other questions.

"Look, the faster we do this, the faster we can _leave_," I pointed out to him. "So just do as she says and it'll be over in two seconds!"

He didn't seem convinced. Good grief, why are men such _babies_? I sighed in defeat, not knowing what else to do.

"Fine, just come stick him like he is," I groaned, hoping she did this quickly. He was hot and sweaty from fever and he was getting _me_ hot. Yuck. I knew he couldn't help it but it was still gross.

He tensed up when she rolled her little stool over to the opposite side of the bed where we were at, all her materials out ready to go. I knew that she dealt with worse patients than this, but this was still mildly embarrassing.

"Give her your arm."

"No!"

"Give it to her," I growled forcefully. "Or I'll tell everyone what you're afraid of."

That earned me an evil glare. "You wouldn't dare."

"I _do_," I persisted, glaring back at him. To be honest, I wouldn't do something as mean as blab that he's afraid of thunderstorms (or rather power outages, but whatever), but I needed to get him to cooperate _somehow_.

A few ugly words rumbled out of him and I'm always surprised that a Disney character would even know such language, but then again since he's in the Real World he hears it all the time. Apparently he bought my threat and he did as he was told and stretched his arm out for the lady to poke with the needle, but he kept his eyes glued to the wall that was behind me (he's still in my lap, remember?). Some small part of me that housed a hint of maternal instinct must have risen up because I gave him a few soft comforting pats on the back when she actually stuck him.

"Okay, all done!" she announced after about thirty seconds.

Turbo swung his head around to give her a baffled look. "That's it?"

"Yup, let me just stick a bandage on there. There ya go, little feller. Stay away from volcanoes."

"Huh," he commented with some fascination once she had slipped out the door. "That wasn't so bad."

"Good…now get off me!"

* * *

"I swear, if you make this trip any more difficult I'm going to break your neck from wringing it so hard."

"I am _not_ doing..._that_…in a cup."

"Just pee in the cup already, it's not like no one's going to watch you do it!"

He shifted his eyes away from me. "It's embarrassing."

I was going to lose my mind. This is worse than dealing with a child!

"Look, it's the last thing you have to do and then the doc can find out why you have a fever then we can _finally_ go home! And you can sit on the couch with all your video games and chocolate and whatever else you want, so just _please_ do it already!"

He gave me a withering glare. "I can't go with you watching me."

If I wouldn't get a headache after, I'd beat my face against the wall. "Idiot, don't do it in _here_, go to the bathroom!"

"I don't know where it is!"

Do I have to everything around here? Am I seriously the only adult in this relationship? I get that he's clueless about stuff but, for Pete's sake, can't he show a little common sense sometimes?

"Did Sour Bill walk you to the royal restroom too, your majesty?"

He had this dark look in his eyes, insinuating that I'd really ticked him off. That's not the kind of look that you want a villain giving you, trust me. I know he's not allowed to physically hurt me, as per his probation orders (according to him), but it's still not very pleasant having him glare at me so intently.

"Don't mock me, blondie."

I wasn't going to let him see that he spooked me or else he'd learn that he could do it all the time. It's like training one of those attack dogs not to attack.

"Turbs, just be a big boy and go down there." I pointed down the hall. "It's the last door on the right. It's not that difficult."

He finally gave up trying to glare me down and just did as I told him. Geez Louise, this is the most ridiculous hospital visit I've ever been to! I almost feel like a criminal; I've had to make up legal information, tack him to my insurance so he wouldn't get billed full price (and yours truly having to foot the bill anyway), and other sorts of things. I hoped the police or the CIA or the FBI or the MIB or some other acronymic organization didn't come banging on my door later asking about the whereabouts of Mr. Time from the country of Litwakia.

And believe it or not, this whole insane trip only took an hour of my life away. Nurse came back in to check his temperature which was now at 99.9, hallejulah. Turbo felt a lot better anyway, but he was still chilly and pretty exhausted from lack of sleep. Heck, I was ready to crash into bed myself. Doc finally came in and announced,

"You have the common cold."

We both stared at him like he just spoke a foreign language. Seriously? All this trouble for a freakin' _cold_? Turbo turned to look at me questioningly.

"What's that mean?"

"It means I'm going to kill you for making me pay a doctor's visit for the _common cold_!" I snapped grouchily, rubbing my tired eyes. "I don't believe this."

"Well, normally, only small children run a high fever with a cold," Doc continued in that voice that doctors talk in that makes them feel smarter than you when really they aren't. "Adults usually don't, but since _technically_ he's only existed for a few months if what you tell me is true, then I suppose his body reacted the way a child would."

He tapped on his little clipboard. "You want a prescription?"

I gave him a hard glare. "_No_, I think I can manage over-the-counter Tylenol, thank you."

He shrugged and tucked his clipboard under his arm. "Suit yourself." He pointed at me. "Come out for a second."

I reluctantly followed Doc for the second time out in the hallway and shut the door.

"I thought I was seeing things earlier when his labs came back but..." He looked around to make sure no one was within earshot. "His blood cells are shaped like little Mickey Mouse heads!"

I gave him another blank stare and I guess I must've been really tired because I bust out laughing. Seriously?

I rubbed a hand against the side of my face. "My life is a madhouse!"

"Just make sure to come to work later tonight."

**to be continued**

* * *

_Will Turbo survive the common cold? Will I survive being a nursemaid to a sick Disney villain?_ **  
**


	6. Being a Nursemaid Is Not My Thing

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"Do you feel better yet?"

Turbo sniffed before blowing his nose for the umpteenth time, the steadily growing pile of tissues scattered about him on the couch, where he was laid back with his feet kicked up on the ottoman. It wasn't quite time to give him more Tylenol yet, another two and half hours to go. I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to get much sleep today, which was bad because I need to go to work around seven pm and stay away a full twelve hours.

"Kind of," he replied drowsily, looking up at me with a pair of big pitiful eyes and the sweetest face he could muster up. "Can I have some chocolate milk?"

Darn it, the "puppy dog pout" looks pretty adorable on him...

I did _not_ just think that.

"I think you need to drink orange juice and stuff like that," I suggested instead. "Junk food might make you sicker."

He pouted more and sunk in the chair. "But I want chocolate..."

Dang him.

"I _kno__w, _but you need to get better," I kept on insisting, turning around to go in the kitchen. "Look, I've got some strawberries and grapes in here. Try that to see if you can stomach it."

"But I'm not nauseous."

"It doesn't matter, if you eat or drink something heavy it _might_ make you throw up."

I filled up a small bowl with some of the fruit in it and handed it to him. He curled his lip up like he didn't approve but he sighed and popped a grape in his mouth. This was so weird having him not argue as much as normal, but then again who am I to complain?

"Can you fluff up my pillow?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Now look, buster, I know you don't feel good but I'm not waiting on you hand and foot."

There was that puppy pout again. Gosh darn it! I gritted my teeth and just went ahead and did the mundane task.

"Anything else, your majesty?"

He grabbed another tissue to sneeze into. "Will ya cut me a break? I've never been sick before. I feel _terrible_."

How is that he can both infuriate me and make me feel guilty at the same time? Am I really being that hard on him? It never even crossed my mind that he'd never been sick before, so naturally he's going to be dramatic about something as simple as a cold. I didn't want to imagine if he'd had the flu or something worse. I sighed to myself, thinking that when _I_ felt bad, I liked it when people took care of_ me_...even though that doesn't really happen since I'm an adult that doesn't live with my family.

"Sorry," I mumbled out. "I'm gonna take a quick shower, so just entertain yourself with the tv for a little while."

So there I left him on the couch with his fruit and fluffed up couch pillow. After taking my (hot!) shower, I decided to go ahead and dry my hair so it wouldn't wind up being coarse and frizzy later. It's just above my shoulders in a layered bob with shorter pieces in the front, and if I don't dry it straight before bed it will be a disaster to fix later on. Anyway, after all that I realized I was more exhausted than I thought earlier and figured I'd see if Turbo needed anything before I crashed. I opened up the bathroom door and-

"What the Sam Hill are you doing in my bed?!"

The little sneak was all cuddled up on his side facing away from me with his arms and legs curled up to him. Not to mention he stole one of my own personal pillows that he's always trying to get me to share. He _knows_ he's not allowed anywhere near the bed unless he's waking me up and I was rather surprised that he'd break my sacred rule.

"I couldn't get comfortable," was his tired answer.

Okay sick or not, he is _not_ sleeping in my bed...and I'm _not_ sleeping on the couch.

"Turbs, seriously, I have to go to work tonight and I can't sleep with you in the bed!" I started whining. Nothing against the guy, but I am not sharing my bed with...well, a _guy_. Besides, I don't want his germs.

He turned his head just enough to see me out of one corner of his eye and...ugh! Will he please stop giving me that sad look! I feel like I'm being abusive!

I ran a hand down my face and muttered, "Fine, whatever."

I turned all the lights out after setting my alarm, then crawled in on my side of the bed...scooting as far away from him as possible. Honestly, I'm too tired to even argue with him or physically drag him back to the couch.

"You come near me and I'll punch you right in the face," I warned him firmly as I fluffed up my remaining pillow and curled up on my side away from him.

"You're mean."

I jerked around to give him a glare even though he probably couldn't see it. "How am I being mean? I took you to the doctor, I gave you medicine, heck, I let you _live _here for _free_! That's more than what anyone else would've done for you, I guarantee that!"

His glowing eyes were merely tired slits as he blankly looked in my direction. I exhaled deeply to try and calm down. I suppose I _am_ overreacting to this...a little. He tucked his head down and pulled some of the blanket up to him.

"I know that," he said quietly, snuggling down a little bit to get comfortable.

He must really be sick if he didn't even want to argue with me. He looked so downright miserable, I almost wanted to hug the guy. _Almost._

"Did you eat that fruit I gave you?" I asked him in a nicer tone.

He yawned. "I ate the grapes. Didn't like the strawberries."

Huh, guess I need to make a mental note of that. Oh well, more for me!

"You feel any better at all?"

"A little." His voice was getting more sleepy-sounding the more he talked.

"Well, you can have another Tylenol in about two hours if you wake up for it. Only take _two_ or else you'll end up back in the hospital for an overdose."

I may have exaggerated, because I doubt three or four pills would really do him in, but I didn't want him thinking it was okay to take the whole bottle either. Who knows, he _could_ be that crazy to do something like that. He simply nodded in response. I could tell he was drifting off so I stuck my hand out to gently press against his head to see if he still felt hot. He felt only a little warm but that was probably because he was bundled up. His breathing became more shallow and it didn't take long for him to go to sleep. Thankfully, he doesn't snore so I didn't have _that_ to worry about_.  
_

* * *

I started having this crazy dream that I was being run over by a steamroller. Not exactly pleasant, so I forced myself to wake up only to discover that I was indeed being pushed by some force of nature closer to the edge of the bed. As sleep left me, I realized that the source of the problem was a certain warm body pressing up against my back. My eyes popped open when I realized what was going on: see, Turbo had for whatever reason scooted over to _my_ side of the bed and currently was cuddled up against my back, still sound asleep judging by his breathing pattern.

A small panic attack worked itself into existence. This is rather awkward for lack of a better word. When you're like me and have a few relationships under your belt, this tends to be a weird activity to find yourself doing with someone that you're most certainly _not_ in a relationship with. Granted, this was totally harmless since he wasn't doing anything other than simply laying there. I could feel that he had his arms up against his chest like he was curled in a ball and I could feel him shaking a little bit like he was cold. Apparently, he subconsciously moved himself towards the closest heat source: _me_.

I know I threatened to punch him if he came near me, but I honestly didn't think I could ever be _that_ mean. However, I wasn't about to continue laying here trapped between him and the edge of the bed. It dawned on me that it was probably past due for his medicine. I needed to somehow slip out of bed without disturbing him, get the Tylenol, _then_ wake him up and give it to him while having him move back to the other side of the bed.

Simple, right?

With breath held, I attempted to first get one leg off the bed and then shift my hips to where I could try and slide out. This resulted in my shoulders shifting as well and...ahhhhhh crap crap _crap!_ He must've felt me move because...ugh, I can't believe this...he threw an arm around me to keep me where I was. Great, freakin' great. My heart slammed in my throat when he did that and I don't even think he knew he did it, to be honest. I was going to go insane if I didn't get out of this position _pronto_. I could feel him _breathing_ on the back of my neck, that's how close he was.

I exhaled my breath very slowly and quietly, then inhaled in the same manner. Ever so gently, I reached my arm up and attempted to pick his hand up so I could place it somewhere behind me but I accidentally ended up flinging it off. Thankfully, Turbo is a deep sleeper so this didn't result in waking him up. I could feel perspiration building on my forehead from trying to mentally work out how to get out of this. I started sliding my butt off the bed and then worked my arms behind me at an awkward angle to push my top half up, stumbling slightly as I finally escaped my predicament.

Phew! That was close! I can't imagine how he would have reacted if he he'd realized just how much of my personal space he was invading. If I catch the cold from him, he will pay dearly for it.

I yawned and stretched out a little as I headed to the bathroom, glancing briefly at the clock hanging on the wall that I walked past. Ugh, it was only ten o'clock? I still had 'til five pm to sleep! Going into the bathroom, I almost blinded myself by flicking the light on, then grabbed the Tylenol bottle I had sitting out, dumped two pills in my hand, then went to go get a glass of water.

It's very rare that I get to wake Turbo up and I was _very_ tempted to do it in the same manner that he wakes _me_ up: kicking the bed or poking my shoulder. But I'm not cruel enough to extract revenge while he's feeling under the weather so I just gently pushed at his back to get him to roll over. He appeared to still be half-asleep even while chugging the pills down and promptly laid back down and went back to sleep. He didn't even say anything, just swallowed them and then flopped over. Poor thing. I got on my knees on the mattress and felt his head again and it wasn't warm anymore but I'd rather be safe than sorry and just give him medicine anyway.

I decided I wasn't going to be able to get back on _my_ side of the bed so I just had to settle for the opposite side. Normally I take up the entire bed (it's a full-size) so being forced to stay on one side wasn't much fun for me, but I still went back to sleep. And no, he didn't roll back over on me, thank goodness. That would have been_ too_ weird.

* * *

So here I am at work...hating it. I hate my job, I really do, but I don't really know how to do anything else so here I stay. I didn't suffer through four years of college for nothing. I'd rather do something with animals, but the only thing that pays good is veterinarians and no way do I want to be a doctor. I think I'd like being an English teacher or something with the book writing world or maybe a librarian but, again, I don't really want to go back to school unless it was all strictly online. Don't think I haven't researched it, most everything requires at least one classroom setting. _Sigh._

It's about midnight and I'm the only person on duty for my department because they're too cheap to hire a second person. So when things get busy, I have to break my neck to get the job done, all the while getting yelled at if things don't get done in five minutes. I wish I had a clone machine for just this place. Right now though, everything was looking calm and cool and I was just about to heat my soup in the microwave provided for us when the phone rang. I hate that phone.

Grumbling, I quickly look at the caller ID and recognize my landline number. I rolled my eyes but I figured I best answer it anyway.

"What do you want?"

_"That's not a very professional greeting."_

I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "I knew it was you from the caller ID so I don't _have_ to answer 'professionally'. Now what is it? And spit it out, I'm ready to eat my dinner."

_"Well, see, that's the thing. I put something in the microwave but..." _He paused for a second like he didn't want to tell me what happened next. Then he said, _"But the handle broke off."_

I pulled the phone from my ear and gave it a funny look, as if he were really there to see it. "What do you _mean_, it broke off?"

I heard him scoff._ "What do you think it means, genius? It means my dinner is trapped inside this confounded contraption and I'm starving!"_

A groan escaped my lips. Told ya my apartment wasn't up-to-date. "I don't know what you want _me_ to do about it, I can't exactly leave work and rescue your dinner from its hostage situation."

_"This isn't funny!"_

"I wasn't trying to be funny. Look, try using that big kitchen fork in the utensil drawer and prying the door open. Be careful not to stick yourself or poke your eye out."

_"You're making me do something dangerous? Yeah, that's smart."_

I was so tempted to beat the phone against the wall but I didn't feel like paying for damages. "Just be careful, geez! Grow up already, I can't do everything for you!"

_"But I'm sick, you're supposed to be nice to me."_

"I let you sleep in my bed all day! If that's not nice, I don't know what is!"

He grumbled at that then I heard some clanging in the background (I guess that was him looking for that big kitchen fork) then I heard what sounded like scraping and more banging. Apparently he took my advice and was now trying to pry the microwave door open. While I waited for him to get back on the phone, I put the phone on speaker as I finished heating my own soup up...and hoped that the microwave handle wouldn't break. By the time I sat back down, he had finished his chore.

_"Got it."_

"There was that so hard?" I asked him, still keeping him on speaker for the time being.

_"Actually it was. My knuckles hurt."_

I rolled my eyes. "You sound like you feel a lot better. What did you fix to eat?"

_"Oatmeal."_

I shuddered with disgust. I _hate_ oatmeal.

"Yuck."

_"Says the girl who likes strawberries."_

I cracked a smile. "You know, some people like to put strawberries_ in_ their oatmeal."

_"Ugh, I don't see why."_

I chuckled. "Well, I guess it beats prison food, at any rate, huh?"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say since he hung up on me after a good five second pause. I guess that _was_ an insensitive thing to say to him. Great, now I feel like I should apologize. I knew he wouldn't answer the phone right away so I finished my own dinner before calling him back. It rang and rang and rang then finally he answered it only to hang up again. Wonderful, he's going to be a joy when I get home.

* * *

Like I expected, he was a joy when I got home. He didn't even look at me when I came in, just sat there on the couch playing one of his games.

"Look, I'm sorry about the prison food thing, okay?" I apologized after a mere thirty seconds of being given the cold shoulder.

He glanced at me briefly then went back to his game. I don't know what that's supposed to mean but at least he looked at me. I sighed silently and headed to the bathroom to hopefully get a hot shower before bed. Of course, I was wrong. The shower walls were still wet so that meant he probably used it all up out of spite. I figured I might as well inspect the microwave while waiting for the hot water heater to do its thing.

Yup, the microwave handle was definitely broken off. How bizarre. I had to pass by his majesty to get to the phone and he glared at me since I was getting in his way. I felt like an idiot calling the maintenance guy to come fix a broken microwave handle but we _had_ to have one. Amazingly, the guy on the phone said that happens more than I would think and they keep a supply of them in their workshop, and that he'd be over shortly to replace it.

Meanwhile, I wasn't about to have Turbo not talk to me for the rest of our lives and decided to extend the olive branch again.

"You want some hot chocolate? The good homemade kind I make on the stove?"

He flicked his eyes at me again, still not happy with me, but he did perk up at the sound of chocolate. Ha, I knew that would work.

"Sure," he told me, trying not to sound enthused at getting his precious cocoa.

So I whipped up a pot of homemade hot chocolate on the stove and the maintenance guy came over to quickly replace the microwave handle. Since I didn't want to be rude, I gave him some hot chocolate in a little throwaway plastic cup for him to take with him. I supposed I was going to have to serve his royal highness since he made no move to get up off the couch. At least he looked at me when he took the cup from me.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Don't mention prison again."

I felt a knot in my stomach. "All right. I really am sorry about that."

Geez, just how bad _was_ Disney prison? I couldn't imagine the most magical place on Earth having something that bad in it but, then again, what do I know?

"It's fine," he muttered, staring down at his cocoa waiting for it to cool off. "Just don't bring it up anymore."

And that was that. I made a special note to not ever bring up jail again. I was still curious about it, but at the same time I hoped I wouldn't ever find out in person.


	7. Invasion of the Fanboy

**Special Note:** _This chapter and all the ones after it take place **AFTER** my "Have Some Candy" one-shot, which if you haven't read it already I don't really want to spoil the ending for you, but the next two chapters are kind of the followup to it. This takes place the next day, Feb. 15. Anyway, enjoy :)_

_To "Guest": Wow, thanks, that's probably one of the nicest reviews I've ever gotten! :) _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Turbo was giving me the kind of look that you give when you think someone's done or said something really stupid and you just want to slap them in the face for it.

"I already know how to drive, why do I need to take a class for it?"

See, Turbo's always wanting to drive since that's pretty much one of the only things he was literally created to do (the other is being a villain, but we already knew that). I had agreed to let him get a driver's license since he now had his own money to get his very own car. Thing is, the DMV doesn't just hand those out like candy mints. He had his own official documentation that stated he was in fact a real person and not entirely fictional as I thought he was; he showed me what appeared to be a legit Disney birth certificate and what not. I don't know why he didn't make that known to me before we went to the hospital and lied on official paperwork, but...never mind. The only thing he had to do was pass driving school and the tests at the DMV and he'd be set.

"That's just how things are in the real world," I tried to explain to him. "You want to live here, you gotta live by the rules. Sorry."

I could tell he wasn't happy about having to go to school. To be honest, I wasn't entirely thrilled myself. It was two days a week, six hours a day. You have to have thirty-six hours of school so that meant it was a six day program...meaning three weeks. And I think we all know who was going to chauffeur him to class, don't we?

He huffed and crossed his arms. "I could drive circles around everyone there. I'm the best."

I couldn't help but crack a grin at his confidence level. Sometimes I wish I was like that.

"I know that, but you still have to do it. You want a driver's license, don't you?"

He looked off to the side and blew out a frustrated breath of air. "I still think it's stupid."

That means he'll do it but he doesn't agree with it. Now I just hope the driving instructor or any of the other people in the class don't freak out when they see him.

* * *

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

Turns out that Driving Instructor loves _Wreck-It Ralph_ almost as much as I do...okay, maybe more than me. When he saw Turbo, I thought he was going to go into a spasm of fanboy joy. It was kind of embarrassing, at least from my viewpoint. His royal majesty, however, eats up any attention he can get and was grinning ear to ear hearing this moron blab about how he thought he was the best villain ever. I just stood back and hid my face in my hand, shaking it in disbelief. Everywhere we go, we either run into people that love him, hate him, or have no clue who he is. I'm not sure which I'd rather run into the most.

Oh and you guys remember Newman from "Seinfeld"? That's who Driving Instructor reminds me of. No, seriously.

"Oh man-o-man, I can't believe I'm actually talking to you right now, this is great, and you're the _real thing_, not some psycho in a costume, wow whoever guessed Disney World was a real place, this is the best day ever!"

So on and so forth. I don't think he took a breath the whole time he rambled, it was all one giant run-on sentence that needed to be punctuated by a pause for breath. I personally had enough of this worship session and decided I'd better inject some reality into the situation. I stepped in between his highness and his new loyal subject and put a finger up against "Newman's" chest to poke him back a bit.

"Yeah, yeah, we know all that," I said dryly. "Mr. Best Villain Ever here needs to take your driving school."

It was as if he had just seen me for the first time since our arrival and he blinked a few times when he saw me suddenly materialize between him and his new crush.

"Oh yeah, that's right, I guess that _is_ why you'd be here," replied "Newman" as he adjusted his over-sized glasses on his face. "But why the heck do you need driving lessons, you're the best racer ever!"

Why am I always surrounded by idiots with no common sense?

"Blondie said that was the law," Turbo piped up, pushing me out from in front of him.

"It _is_," I insisted, giving him a glare for pushing me. "I didn't make it up just to make things difficult."

Our boy "Newman" was looking like a toddler trying not to pee in his big-boy drawers. "Oh you don't have to go through three weeks of this crap," he was offering. "I already know you know how to drive."

My jaw dropped at this insanely gracious offer, mostly because it was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. Why the heck should Turbo get special treatment when the rest of us have to take this stupid course? Discrimination, I say! Just because he's famous or whatever shouldn't mean anything. I bet those NASCAR racers have to go get their licenses renewed every four years just like everyone else.

Of course, Turbo was going to accept this. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, he reached over to pat "Newman" on the shoulder and gave him his trademark "Turbo-tastic!" as a response...complete with a thumbs up. Holy mackerel, I thought "Newman" was going to go into a coma with all this excitement.

"If it's not too much trouble, can we go for a drive anyway?" asked the elated fanboy.

* * *

I'm going to die.

What was I thinking getting into a vehicle with a professional racer and him having full permission by the car's owner to go as hog crazy as he wants? I was in the back sitting in the middle clutching for dear life to the seat, my fingers digging into the cushion. Last night, I _had_ let Turbo drive my car to Wal-Mart and he'd thankfully gone the thirty-five mph speed limit, but we were out in the middle of nowhere and he was loving every second of it.

I mean, dear Lord, we had to be going over 100 mph! And this was in a Ford Focus with a "Driver's Ed." sign slapped to it, not a sports car mind you. Every time Turbo did a hard curve, jumped over a construction site ramp, or did donuts, I thought I was going to puke. Puke and die. I might have screamed a few times when I thought we were going to spin out over a bridge "Dukes of Hazzard" style. Of course ol' "Newman" was loving it as much as I was freaking out over it.

"Faster, woohoo!"

If I wasn't too afraid to let go of the seat, I would've clobbered him. "Slow down!"

Turbo threw a smug look in the rear-view mirror at me. "What's wrong, blondie, don't trust my driving? I _am_ a professional, you know."

With that, we endured another round of donuts and I forced my eyes shut and began reciting what I could remember of the Lord's Prayer in my head. I swear, I think he's trying to scare me into a heart attack! I wasn't sure how much more of this thrill-seeking behavior I could put up with.

"This is the best day of my life!" I heard "Newman" laughing and I seriously felt like digging my nails into his stupid face and ripping his tongue out so he'd shut up.

"Please, God, just let me live so I can have _better_ days," I mentally prayed as we headed towards another ramp to fly off of.

We went flying through the air and I peeked my eyes open out of curiosity. Bad idea! Seeing tree tops out the window and then the ground zooming towards us as we headed down was not what I wanted to see, so I shut them again just in time to feel the car land roughly on the ground. We peeled out of the the area, spinning wildly in a 180 degree half-circle and zoomed off again.

This insanity only lasted thirty minutes, if you can believe that. As soon as the speed demon parked the car in front of the driving school, I ripped my seat belt off and flung myself to the door. I ended up tripping and falling on the ground in my hurry, catching myself with my hands and knees in the dirt. Oh, dirt, glorious dirt! Boring, brown dirt that doesn't do anything but lay there and not move. My head was spinning from the rush I'd just been exposed to.

"Silly girl, what are you doing down there?" Turbo asked me after he removed himself from the car as well.

"Reacquainting myself with stable ground."

"I scared you that bad?"

"No, I was just screaming earlier to exercise my lungs and vocal cords."

I felt a pair of arms start pulling me back up to my feet and Turbo gave me an amused grin. Yeah, it was so funny that I could've died of a heart attack thanks to his insane driving.

"You need to learn to relax, blondie," he said, giving me a light playful "punch" in the jaw. "You're gonna die from the added stress you put on yourself."

"The reason I have 'added stress' is because of _you_!"

That's when our good friend "Newman" decided to throw his two cents in. "Gee, I figured since you were his girlfriend and all, you'd be used to this!"

My already high blood pressure raised even more hearing that and I shot daggers at "Speed Racer Wanna-Be" in front of me when he turned his head to try hiding a smirk from me, which of course didn't work. I'm going to strangle both of them. Why are men so difficult to deal with?!

* * *

After another hour, "Newman" of course made it to where Turbo "passed" driving school with false paperwork and all that mumbo-jumbo. Seriously, if he'd been anyone else, he would've ended up in jail by now. Actually, so would I, since I'm his "accomplice".

We got in my car, with _me_ driving, and we pulled away from the driving school. Turbo sat back in the passenger seat with a rather satisfied look on his face.

"You realize you cheated your way out of class, right? That's kinda illegal."

He stretched out to put his hands behind his head, eyes closed to rest. "I'm a villain, being illegal comes naturally to me."

I rolled my eyes for a moment then returned to focusing on driving. "The only reason you were even able to get away with it is because we happened to go to the one driving instructor that has an insane man-crush on you."

He gave a little laugh. "You're funny."

"I'm not kidding, he was practically drooling all over you."

He cut me a sideways glance and a sly grin appeared. "Good thing he thought I had a _girl_friend then, isn't it?"

I slowly turned my head towards him with a piercing look of evil reflecting in my eyes.

"What?" he shrugged casually. "I didn't say you _were_. I'm just sayin', good thing he thought my car door didn't swing the way he wanted it to."

I heaved an aggravated sigh and looked back at the road. "Pfft, half your fanbase thinks it does," I muttered quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He'd have a heart attack if he knew people thought "King Candy's" flamboyant Mad Hatter-ish nature was perceived as something else entirely. I personally didn't see it that way, but hey I'm not everyone else. He already read a few fanfictions (not mine, thank goodness) and saw some fanart when he was Google-ing himself (I know, conceited, right?) and had a freakin' hay-day when he saw that people thought he liked the color salmon and that he was shorter than his two former co-racers, the nameless twins. And no, he doesn't know their names either since they don't even really exist. Needless to say, I don't let him Google himself anymore because I got sick of hearing the complaints.

I cleared my throat. "Maybe you should read that little book he gave you about all the traffic signs and rules, so you'll be prepped for the written test. You can't tell me that you know all that stuff."

He kinda flipped through the official driver's rulebook that was given to him (for free, of course). "Done."

"You didn't even read it!"

"I read fast."

"Only a computer reads that fast."

"Well, I'm kind of a computerized game character, does that count?"

Can't argue with that.

* * *

_Will Turbo pass his test for a driver's license? Will he ever get his own car? (He wants something fast and sporty and red.)_


	8. Me Versus the Dodge Dealership

_Apple: I really don't care, lol, as long as they sound kinda stuck up :P Like, "valley girl" speech with a mean girl edge. I'm not too sure to be honest. _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

So we get to the DMV and...no surprise here...there's like a million people. Ugh. Take a number, sit down kinda thing. We were definitely going to be here a while so I told Turbo to sit in a chair and forced him to _slowly_ read that handbook that "Newman" gave him while I went to find someone that could help us. Some lady with a messy black hair that severely needed a brush run through it and was smacking her gum looked up at me with little interest through her little window.

Yeah, _that's _professional.

I told her we needed to do a driver's license test and she directed me to sit in this other section of the DMV. I had to drag Turbo over there with me and plop him in yet another chair while...you know what, why am_ I_ doing all the work? He should be responsible for his own darn license. I looked back at him sitting in his seat and appearing bored while he flipped through his handbook and then I noticed some other people giving him strange looks. One guy that was only two seats down from him even got up to move to a further seat.

Jerk.

On second thought, maybe it _is_ a good idea that I do the work for him. He'd just screw it up anyway. For some reason, just thinking that actually made me feel pretty dang good about myself. He _needs_ me. It's nice to feel needed. Without me, he'd quite literally be lost out here in the real world. Maybe I should feel more honored about being his guardian, even if it _was_ just an act of sheer random luck that he ended up at _my_ front door and no one else's.

We had waited there long enough for him to read that stupid handbook about three times..._slowly_. I was even nice and made up a practice quiz using the blank end page in the book. He passed it of course, but then again I probably made it too easy. Anyway, he_ finally_ got to go take the written test. So I sat there and waited and waited for him, texting my mom about what I was doing because I had accidentally missed a few of hers asking where I was. She worries if I don't respond right away so I can't imagine how worked up she was by the time she finally heard back from me.

After what felt like an eternity, Turbo finally came back and I perked up in the chair.

"So? Did you pass?" I asked him curiously, though judging by the smile on his face I was going to guess that he did.

"Pfft, piece of cake," he told me proudly with a little shrug. "Told ya I was gonna ace this, like everything else I do."

I playfully rolled my eyes, combined with a lop-sided smile. He's so full of it sometimes.

He snapped his fingers and held his open palm out. "I need your keys."

"Why?"

His smile fell into an aggravated sneer. "Duh, for the driving test, why else? I need your car."

Right, I forgot you had to use your own vehicle for that. Ughhhhh. I dug around in my purse for the keys and cautiously handed them to him.

"Be careful," I warned him with a serious look in my eyes. "You wreck it, you're buying me another one."

"Relax, blondie, I got this in the bag," he reassured me, punching my shoulder as he turned around to go back wherever it was he came from.

Okay, I doubt he'll do anything crazy while trying to get his license...he wouldn't want to sabotage that, after all. All right, fine, I have faith in him. Strange thing to have in a person that's considered a villain but, I'll admit, he's not that bad when you're around him all the time. He's definitely improved since we first met, that's for sure.

After about twenty minutes of boredly thumbing through an old Reader's Digest magazine, I got a text from one of my friends, the one that lives on the other side of the state. I only see her twice a year so we text fairly often.

Bestie_: you wont believe who i saw 2day_

Oh Lordy.

Me:_ who?_

Bestie:_ the d-bag cop u used 2 date. he was askin if i knew why u dont answer his calls_

Crap. I purposely changed my phone numbers two years ago because he wouldn't leave me alone. I broke up with him because I caught him in a bunch of lies and cheating...then three months later, he gets married. So what does that tell ya? Even after _that, _he wouldn't quit trying to call me up. Perv.

Me: _u didnt tell him anything did u?_

Bestie: _no i hate him. i just said i didnt know. hes still married btw but b careful, hes nuts_

Me:_ yeah i know thanx_

Okay, great. So Psycho Policeman aka Crazy Cop still thinks about me. That's just wonderful. So long as he doesn't come over here and try to find me, I guess I'm good though. That guy's a real piece of work, he manipulates people like it's going out of style. He even-

"I passed!"

Geez, he scared me! I almost dropped my phone when Turbo announced his victory to me. He was grinning ear to ear and was like a little kid showing off the prize he won. I took the new driver's license from him so I could see it better. Haha, of course. Only Turbo would pose for his picture. He was kind of at an angle with his typical grin and somehow managed to fit a thumbs up in there. What a goof. I kind of wished I'd been in there to see that.

"Can we go pick out my car now, please please _please_?" he was asking me excitedly, pulling impatiently at my jacket sleeve all the while to prompt me to get up out of the chair.

When he gets excited about something, it's pretty contagious. It's hard not to be swayed by it so, even though I was kind of ready for a nap (I was still tired from all that chocolate shopping we did yesterday), I figured we could go look at a few cars.

* * *

Turbo doesn't know anything about "real world" cars as far as makes and models go, so I was just going to go to the first dealership we came across and go from there. He didn't seem to care what it was so long as it was a fast red sports car.

Go figure.

The Dodge place was the first business we came across and...I hate Dodge. No offense, but I don't like any of their inventory. The front ends look stupid to me. Sorry, Dodge fans. But Turbs didn't know the difference, he was just excited about getting a car, so I went ahead and pulled in.

Shiny brand new cars, as far as the eye could see. Turbo was like a kid in the candy store, perking up to look out the window with big eyes and a cheery expression. I couldn't help but grin at him. It's always nice seeing him smile, I wish he'd do it more often. He smirks a lot but that's not the same thing. I'm talking about a genuine smile of happiness.

It hit me that they probably weren't going to let him purchase anything without insurance. He's got the money (thanks to that sweepstakes he secretly entered...a million dollars!), but they were going to want insurance. Sigh, guess I'll have to put it in my name and just let him pay me back or something. Then I just pay for it all in one full sweep and get the title, then by that time I should get insurance settled out and somehow get the title in his name.

Sounds like I'll be calling my dad up about all this. I'm not good at this kind of thing.

I spat the idea at the Turbs, who I don't think fully understood what I was talking about, but I guess he must have trusted me because he didn't contest it. After all, I'm the one that lives here and knows how things work.

Anyway, I parked and we got out, and I had to keep a grip on Turbo's sleeve to keep him from dashing out into the sea of cars and getting lost out there.

"But there's a whole herd of red ones!" he was telling me, practically jumping up and down so he could see them.

I didn't want to be the one responsible for ruining his high spirits, so I let go of him and instructed him, "Don't go anywhere except by the red ones, okay? Stay there."

He bolted off in the direction of all the red cars...haha he's so silly sometimes...and this was around the time that a car salesman finally showed up. I...hate...car salesmen. They are the most annoying sleazeballs on the planet. No, wait, that would cops (no offense to the good ones). Okay, they're _some_ of the most annoying sleazeballs on the planet.

"Why hello there, little lady!" says the slime in the dressy clothes, slicked back dark blonde hair, dashing smile, blue eyes and an air of arrogance you can smell from a mile away. "You want to trade in that little Toyota of yours and go for a nice Charger?"

Pfft, yeah right, I like my ol' Corolla just fine. Even better, it's paid for so I don't have a note. I wanted to say that I think Chargers are the ugliest cars ever but I remembered that I was the "customer" here in Turbo's place so I needed to be friendly. I slapped a fake smile on that would rival Anna Paquin's in _True Blood_.

"No, I'm just kinda looking right now, I don't know what I want to do. I'm thinking I want something...I dunno, sporty though? And fast."

He snapped his fingers in the most dramatic way possible then pointed his finger to the right of us. "I think you'll be interested in this lot right here, ma'am. We just got in a new shipment of Darts and Challengers you might take a liking to."

His seedy eyes spotted something in the distance and he lowered them in a glare. He was over six-foot so he could see out further than I could.

"What is that?" he inquired, pointing a long finger out to the northeast of us.

I followed his finger and had to jump up on my tip-toes to see what he was talking about and...oh, he was talking about Turbo. I should've known that.

I waved it off like it was nothing. "Oh, long story, that's just Turbo. He's from _Wreck_-"

"I know where he's from but what's he doing _here_?"

He didn't sound (or look) the way most people do when they ask that. Normally, it's a wide-eyed look of fascination and curiosity. This guy...he looked rather angry, for lack of a better word. The once smiling face had transformed into one of fury, his blue eyes getting dark and a clenched jaw giving him a rather scary look.

Uh oh.

I started laughing out of anxiety. "Ha...I...uh...guess you're not a fan, huh?"

He looked at me as if I'd just asked him if he was a fan of Adolf Hitler. "Fan?" he asked me in a high-pitched voice filled with disbelief. "_Fan_? That psycho tried to kill a small child! He deliberately made her life miserable just so he could keep his little cushy royal life! The guy's a maniac; a manipulating, cold-hearted, selfish, son of a-"

I listened to this for a few seconds but then my vision went red. I'm not sure what all he was ranting about after I finally tuned him out; all I know, is he made a very huge mistake in making me mad. And trust me, I was steaming. I felt my fists clench up and my teeth gritted together and, if looks could kill, mine would take out an army.

I couldn't take his blabbering hateful nonsense anymore. No one talks about Turbs like that, not when I'm around. He might be annoying and selfish sometimes, but he's a person with feelings just like everyone else.

"Shut up, fathead!" I started screaming at him, my fists shaking as I tried to keep them down. "You stuck up, greasy-haired, pompous, momma's boy, boy scout, (censored) (censored) (censored), you (censored), you just shut your filthy pie hole and stick your pomade where the sun don't shine!"

I've been told I'm pretty scary when I get riled up. This apparently was no exception. Pretty Boy Floyd here was absolutely flabbergasted that little ol' me had just went off on him like that, gawking at me like a moron. I was shaking with anger and I could feel an emotional wave of nausea hitting at me. I needed to get out of here. I don't like yelling at people, I really don't, but this guy was just asking for it.

I spun around and saw that Turbo was standing a couple yards behind me with his own shocked expression. He's witnessed my anger before but not to this extent. I suddenly felt a little embarrassed but dang it, that guy was being unnecessarily rude.

"Come on, Turbs, let's get the heck outta Dodge," I bit grouchily, giving the salesman one last evil look. Then I added, "I hear their vehicles get more recalls than the others anyway."

I doubt that's true but I felt like being a witch. Sue me. I was mad. I was "this" close to turning into my own version of the Hulk.

I grabbed Turbs by the hand to drag him off since he looked too stunned to make a move on his own. I could hear Dodge Dork back there sputtering and trying to apologize or something, I'm pretty sure he was following us at a safe distance since I heard extra footsteps, but oh no! We are not getting a freakin' Dodge, even if it's free! Forget it.

"Get in the car," I muttered, then turned to point at the jerkface that made me mad. "Get back now before I run you over. I will be emailing the Better Business Bureau about what a terrible establishment this is."

"But...but..."

"SHUT IT!"

I slammed my car door and ignored his stupid pleas at my window. Ignoring him completely, I peeled out of the parking lot and drove away from Dodge. I already hated them and now I have more reason to.

* * *

_Will I ever calm down? What kind of car will Turbo get?_


	9. In Which He's Mature (Then NOT)

_I just want to say thank you to all of you enjoying this fic. I never dreamed a self-insert would get this much attention. It's quite mind-blowing actually. Love y'all and hope you continue to enjoy this :)_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Turbo wisely said nothing for a good while as I angrily weaved through traffic. My hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard, I lost feeling in them. At last, I pulled into the local mall's large parking lot and stopped right in the middle of an empty row, not bothering to park correctly in a space. I shut off the engine, threw my seat belt off and got out, slamming the door shut as I did so. Then I turned towards the car and threw my arms up against the side of it to bury my face in them and starting crying like a baby.

That..._jerk_...made me soooo mad! The nerve of him, who did he think he was? On the other hand, what the heck is wrong with me? I'm not the type that blows up in public and chews strangers out in such a severe manner. I know I bicker and scold Turbo a lot, but he's really the only person I do that to. I've certainly never cussed him out.

I heard the car door from the passenger side open then close and I heard a slowly approaching set of footsteps come up to me before stopping next to me. This was embarrassing. I hate being seen in my worse moments.

"Don't talk to me," I sobbed out, keeping my head hidden as tears continued flowing out of my eyes. I felt so nauseous from my earlier outburst that I seriously thought I was going to puke...or "vurp" as Vanellope would say. I felt him press something soft into my fist and I realized it was a tissue from the packet I keep in my glove compartment. I kept my head hidden and wiped my eyes, knowing that mascara and eyeliner had to be running all over my face.

"You didn't have to do that," Turbo told me quietly after I was done.

"He was talking crap about you and wouldn't shut up!" I bit tearfully.

He took a minute before saying something else. "Well...you sometimes do that too."

I snapped my tear-stained face up in his direction, a scowl evident on my face. "What are you talking about? I'm only mean to you when _you_ start something. I have never said anything remotely hateful about you to your face _or_ behind your back."

"Admit it," he started again, leaning on my car with one arm. "When you first saw the movie, don't tell me you didn't hate my guts."

I opened my mouth then shut it. He was right. The first time I saw _Wreck-It Ralph_ in theaters, I hated him. Yeah, I thought he was a great villain and freakin' loved the twist behind "King Candy", but yeah...believe it or not, I hated his guts because of what he did to little Vanellope. In fact, Felix was my favorite character at the time. It wasn't until my second viewing at the show that I started thinking about Turbo's possible backstory, then the more I thought about it the more I loved the guy. Okay, maybe "love" is a strong word. Maybe.

"But...but I _don't_ hate you," I finally answered. "We've been living together for almost three months, you're not _that_ bad."

"I know that _you_ know that, but not everybody has the same privilege as you do," he replied with a slight smirk.

I kinda choked a laugh at that. "Privilege". Haha, good one.

"I'm a villain, I'm expected to have haters," he continued with a nonchalant shrug. "I just don't worry about it unless it gets ridiculously over-the-top or I'm in a bad mood or someone tells it right in my face. That last one hasn't happened yet, but still."

I turned my face from him again. "Yeah, but I don't like people talking ugly about you. Not trying to sound mushy here, but you _are _my favorite. I don't like anyone bashing anything I like."

This is why there are some fandoms I don't participate in. Example? _One Tree Hill...o_ne of my favorite television shows ever and my all-time favorite TV character is Dan Scott. But the majority of the fans, at least the active ones, _loathe_ him. So to keep from going postal on people that talk crap about him, I just choose not to frequent the OTH fan sites and message boards. Fortunately, there _are_ plenty of Turbo fans out there, so I don't have a problem with the _Wreck-It Ralph_ fandom.

"You think_ I_ like hearing it?" Turbo asked of me, pressing a hand against his chest. "I don't exactly enjoy hearing that people hate me, but hey everyone has an opinion. I don't go around freakin' out on people just because they look at me funny. I'd have done broken the whole "can't hurt anybody" clause if I did that."

I never realized how much control he had over himself, or how much around him that he noticed. Actually, I never knew he could even sound this mature. It was like our roles reversed...he was the one trying to talk sense to _me_. That's pretty backwards. I was calming down the more he talked, wiping at my eyes with the tissue he gave me.

"That being said." Turbs put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a little smile. "I'm glad that I happened to end up at my number one fan's place instead of with someone that didn't like me or know who I was. You're blondie-tastic."

I let a little laugh at the dorky comment but at the same time I was more than touched. I had thought that perhaps he just took me for granted or that he didn't think highly of me since I tend to boss him around a bit. Before I knew what I was doing, I sort of threw myself into a hug with him, wrapping my arms around him and resting my head on his shoulder to squeeze him. I'm not sure how he reacted to that since I couldn't see his face but he slowly gave me a hug back regardless.

I guess he started getting embarrassed because he coughed to the side and said, "You look like a raccoon when you cry. Might want to fix that."

I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. "Thanks, Turbs. You really know how to make a girl feel better."

"That's what I strive for." He paused a beat before adding, "Um...can you let go of me now? People might see us."

* * *

Since we hadn't eaten all day, I stopped at this little Japanese place to grab some fried rice with teriyaki chicken "to go" and a couple Cokes from the vending machine outside of it and we kinda chilled out in this local park for a while. Some little kids around the age of six accidentally threw their ball too far in our direction and once they saw who was with me, they went screaming back in the other direction like their pants were on fire.

We exchanged glances and he just shrugged like it was nothing.

"They're stupid little kids, who cares what _they_ think anyway?"

I guess I have to agree with that. I don't even like kids. Yeah yeah, say what you want, but I just don't. My parents aren't getting grand-babies out of me, sorry.

Anyways, we cruised around different dealerships like Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, then finally we hit the jackpot at Chevrolet. It was love at first sight, I tell ya. The minute his yellow eyes saw that Corvette, he lit up with glee and went to hug the thing. It was so funny I took my cell phone out and sneakily took a picture of it. Hehe. When he returned from test driving that thing (I did NOT join in the fun this time), he was on such a high I thought he'd never come back down to earth.

Turbo would kill me if I wasn't precise about the car: 2013 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport Convertible...the crystal red tint coat (it looks better than normal red). It's pretty wicked sweet. I'm kinda jealous actually. Maybe he'll buy me one...nah, yeah right.

Since no one cares about boring paperwork, yours truly had to deal with that while Fast-and-Furious drooled over his new toy. Even though he was paying me back for it, I still croaked at the price. It was...a lot.

Ahem, moving on to more fun things...

* * *

I've ridden in a Corvette before but not while a professional racer was at the wheel. Yes, believe it or not, I did get back in the car with him. He was so ecstatic about having his own ride that he practically threw me in the seat and shut the door in my face. I guess it's not fun if you're doing it alone. So I guess you can say I was kidnapped.

"Blondie, I'm telllin' ya, this is the most turbo-tastic day _ever_!" he was squealing with joy as we raced down the interstate.

Why were we on the interstate? Heck if I know, he just wanted to drive fast and that was the only place I could think of that he could be legally allowed to do that. Also, he can't perform tricks on the interstate so I was spared from suffering through more donuts.

"Yeah, that's great and all, but don't you think you need to slow down?" I asked him, stealing a glance at his speedometer. "You're doing like...100!"

"Pfft, this is nothing, I'm just taking it easy right now."

"Idiot, we're going to get pulled over by the cops!" I nearly screeched at him. "You want this thing impounded before the ink dries on the paperwork?"

He gave me this look like he didn't comprehend what I was saying.

"Don't look at me, look at the road!"

"I know what I'm doing, I'm a _professional_," he reminded me snappily, weaving around some cars like he was some hot shot.

Okay, he _is _a hot shot but...never mind! We're gonna die! Or get arrested! Or both!

I turned in my seat so I could sit somewhat sideways. "Turbo, you slow this car down now or I'll-"

That's when it happened. The unmistakable red and blue flashing lights of a copper appeared in the rear-view mirror and a siren sounded. Really? REALLY?

"See!" I threw my hands behind me to motion to the squad car behind us. "What did I tell you?"

He only smirked and gave me this look like he was going to do something he shouldn't do. My face fell and I stared at him blankly.

"No. No, you are _not_."

"Yes, yes I am," he replied back, slamming his foot down harder on the gas pedal.

Ladies and gentlemen...you might be hearing from me in a jail cell somewhere.


	10. The End of the Goose Chase

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I gripped the sides of my seat in fear, staring ahead outside the windshield as the cars we passed became nothing but blurs. I didn't even want to look at the speedometer but it was definitely faster than the 100 mph we were doing earlier.

"Are you insane?" I cried out, peeking at the side mirror to see that now _two_ state troopers were after us. "Have you seriously lost your mind?"

"Will you just relax and live in the moment?" he replied cooly, using only one hand to drive with like this was some casual ride in a quiet neighborhood. "Now you can say you've been in a car going 130."

My eyes bugged out and I whipped my head towards him, my stomach sinking in the seat.

"WHAT?"

"I can go _faster_ if you want." He flashed me his trademark smirk and had the nerve to wink at that.

I glared at him and sat up straighter. "Turbs, you've pulled a lot of crap before but this takes the cake! Do you know that those cops are gonna call out all their buddies and possibly some helicopters to stop us?"

He actually got _excited _about that. "Oooh, you mean like Grand Theft Auto or those bank robber shows on tv? Turbo-tastic!"

If I weren't so terrified of wrecking, I'd be wringing his ignorant neck right now. Also, my cell was ringing. My mom. Ugh, what else can go wrong today!

"Momma, can't talk, we're getting chased by cops, bye!"

I hung up on her and threw the phone carelessly back in my purse, then continued to glare at the Turbs.

"You dummy, that's nothing to get excited about!" I yelled at him. "When they catch us, and they _will_, we are going to end up in _prison_!"

The word prison seemed to snap something inside of him and the grin he was wearing quickly faltered.

"P-prison?"

Now was my chance to talk some sense into him. "Yes, _prison_, now slow down already before you make things worse!"

He put both hands on the wheel now and looked rather uneasy. "I...I don't want to go back to prison!"

Okay this isn't quite what I had in mind. Turns out he was more petrified of being locked up than I originally thought. He was really starting to freak out here. His eyes were huge and I could see sweat dripping off his forehead now.

"Well, the way things are headed, it looks like you're going to fail to keep your New Year's Resolution."

He was practically gripping the wheel now, terror evident in his big yellow eyes. "I'M NOT GOING TO PRISON, NOT AGAIN!"

Okay, um...maybe mentioning the "P" word wasn't a smart move. He was having a near nervous breakdown and that was making _me_ freak out seeing as how we were going 130 mph.

"Turbs, calm down," I tried to tell him, putting a hand on his shoulder to relax him. "Maybe we can get out of this with a fine or some community work. I was just exaggerating, seriously."

Actually, I wasn't but I had to say _something _to keep him from panicking his way into a wreck. Thankfully traffic wasn't bad yet so we weren't having to pass too many cars. We now had three troopers on our heels. If what was portrayed in the movies was correct, we should see a helicopter soon and maybe even a blockade coming up. This was madness...and I'm not even in Sparta.

Sorry, that was corny even for _me_.

"Look, just slow down and pull off to the side," I suggested in a calm voice as I continued attempting to be the reasonable adult here. "It's fine, I'll see if I can get us out of going to pri-...err, you know."

Turbo looked hesitant to believe me but he didn't really have much choice. We couldn't keep driving forever, unless we wanted to be on "America's Most Wanted". So, long story short, he pulled over. I nearly died of relief...which is better than dying in a car crash, trust me.

"**Get out of the vehicle NOW! Come out with your hands up!"**

Have I mentioned I hated cops? Next thing I knew, I was dragged out of the vehicle with my face greeting the concrete and...you now what, they didn't even give us a chance to get out on our own! UGH. My cheek stung from getting slammed and then I felt someone jerk my hands behind me to slap cuffs on them. I didn't even know what the heck was going on with Turbo, wondering if they had perhaps recognized him or if they were baffled at what kind of alien he could possibly be.

Jerk-tard that cuffed me snatched me up on my feet with a "Let's go, sister". I frantically looked around to search for my friend (yes, I'm calling him my friend now), hoping he wasn't too panicked about being treated in such a rough manner or, worse, start a fist fight with them and-

WHAT?

Get this. While Officer Jerkface here was manhandling me to the ground (may I remind you I was only the innocent _passenger _in this wild goose chase), all the other cops were cracking up. Yeah, they thought it was hilarious that a Disney character had given them a run for their money. Turns out they are all wonderful daddies that took their kids to the show.

"Are you for real?"

"My kids are gonna love this."

"Can I have a picture with you?"

"Rockin' car, dude!"

Isn't _this_ just turbo-freakin-tastic? He breaks the law multiple times today and somehow gets away with it. Unbelievable. And here I am in handcuffs, having done nothing but be the reluctant ride-along and also being the one that talked him into stopping in the first place. I wonder how much easier my own life would be if I were fictional.

"Mind getting your paws off me, pig?" I grumbled at the cop that still had me in his grip.

He looked down at me in confusion, as if he didn't hear me. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," I answered him quickly, then waited for him to look away again. "Oinker."

"What?"

"Nothing."

One of the cops talking to Turbo finally noticed me. "Hey!" he pointed in my direction to make everyone else stare at me. Great, as if I wasn't embarrassed enough. "That must be the girlfriend!"

If one more person says that, I swear...

Turbo grinned at me smugly and waved his fingers at me in a sarcastic manner. I lowered my eyes at him and hissed my breath through my teeth. Was I mad? **Yes.**

* * *

I sat slouched in the car with my arms folded across my chest, glaring steadily out the window in silence as we headed back home. After the cops had their laugh, they ended up letting us go with a warning. Generous, I know, but I was furious that cops had to get involved in the first place. It had started raining so we put the top up on the 'Vette and rolled the windows up. It was gloomy outside, which matched my mood perfectly.

"Lighten up, blondie, nothing happened."

I huffed and refused to look at him. "I _seriously_ hate you right now."

"Aww, come on, don't be like that. We had fun today."

"_You_ had fun;_ I _was humiliated in front of a bunch of uniformed jerks while you made buddies with them," I snapped at him grouchily.

"I thought they were pretty nice."

"Cops aren't nice, they just act like that when it benefits them," I said a little too bitterly. "All they wanted was an autograph and a photo op. If you'd been some nobody they'd pulled over, we'd both be sitting in jail singing the blues right now. Not to mention, it wasn't fun explaining to my mother why I was a victim of police brutality."

"Geez, what's your problem?" Turbo asked me, a hint of aggravation in the question. "Nothing happened, so what's the deal?"

I turned my head to scowl at him just in time for us to stop at a red light.

"The _deal_ is that something _could_ have happened. We could have been killed or arrested, and I kept telling you to slow down because I was freaked out but _noooo_, you wouldn't listen to me. Just had to go do what you felt like doing because you're king of the freakin' mountain and nobody's gonna drag you off of it."

I returned my gaze to the window, refusing to look at him again. He didn't comment right away and the light turned green, allowing us to continue on his way home. I wasn't sure if he was ticked off at what I had said or hurt or indifferent. I really didn't care either. I just wanted to go home and crash on my bed and sleep 'til next year.

"I'm sorry."

He sounded sad so I curiously turned my head to look at him, a little shocked that he looked downcast.

"You're right, I should've listened to you," he kept on, glancing over at me for a second. "I was having fun and I went too far with it. So I'm sorry I scared you and got you almost arrested."

He sounded genuine, which is rare. Then again, he'd already displayed one act of maturity today so I guess it was possible for him to do it a second time. I relaxed back normally in the seat.

"It's okay," I sighed wearily. "I didn't mean to gripe. But next time you want to go fast, let's find someplace more...abandoned? Without cops?"

He perked up at the idea. "Really?"

I cracked a little smile. "Yeah, sure. Racers gotta race."

He grinned his own grin. "Turbo-tastic! Thanks, blondie!" He punched my arm in his excitement.

"No prob, Turbs."

"Hey, wanna go get milkshakes?" he offered suddenly. "My treat?"

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Sure, why not?"

Not surprisingly, getting chocolate shakes made him just as happy as getting a new car. He's so easy to please sometimes.

* * *

_So the car fiasco is finally over! Back to other random moments in life. Might be a few more days until another one gets posted. Stay turbo-tastic!_


	11. Couch Potatoes

_Don't worry guys, he won't get away with everything forever! He'll get busted eventually ;) I've got somewhat of a direction I'm going with this._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Sometimes, you just don't want to go do anything. All you want to do is stay inside and be lazy. Such was the case today. The temperature had dropped considerably and it was raining, so we opted to stay indoors where it was warm and dry. I scrambled up some eggs and fried bacon for breakfast then we crashed on the couch to do what _he_ suggested we do first: play video games.

Naturally, Turbo wanted to play a racing game, which I'm admittedly not too good at. I like them but I tend to crash into things. He let me pick the game (he didn't care which one) so I chose _Mario Kart Wii._ I picked Luigi since he's my favorite Nintendo character and he picked King Boo, since we were using a file where he had every racer unlocked. It didn't take very long for him to get in first place, of course, since he plays these things all the time. I was trying desperately to keep Luigi's little car on the track but I kept getting slammed by the other drivers and spinning in weird directions, then bumping into the sides.

"Stupid Mario," I muttered bitterly as I got attacked by some kind of weapon that he fired at me. "You're supposed to help your brother, jerk."

"You're terrible at this game," Turbo commented dryly as he passed me for his final lap while I was still working on my second. "And that's putting it _nicely_."

"I told you I'm not good at these," I replied back as I ended up upside down somehow. "I like platformers and first-person shooters."

"To each his own."

Someone threw a fireball at my kart right as soon as I finally got it under control. "What the crap, really? Not cool!"

Turbo laughed at me then grinned when he crossed the finish line. "Yay, I win! Turbo-tastic!"

I put my controller down to sip at my Pepsi. "What else is new? You always win."

"That's because I'm the best," he remarked smugly as he watched the short animation where the racers get their trophy.

"You know, it'd be cool if they made _Sugar Rush_ into a real game," I mused out loud as the loading screen came back up.

"They _did_, it's on the Disney website."

I gave him a blank stare. "And how do you know that unless you sneak onto my laptop while I'm at work, hmm?"

He coughed to the side and hid his face from me. "I...uh…just heard it from somewhere, that's all."

"Uh-huh," I said in a flat tone after a short pause. "And you probably played as your alter ego on it, didn't you?"

Turbo scratched behind his neck and continued to avoid my gaze. "Maybe."

I couldn't help but give a little laugh. "You're so goofy, sometimes. No, I meant like a full version of the game for an actual console." I grinned slyly and added, "With _Vanellope_ on the roster to play."

You can't play as her on the Disney website version for some reason, not even as an unlockable character. "King Candy" is the only unlockable one as far as I know (you just type his name in).

He shot me a glare from the side. "Pfft, I'd never play as her."

"Even if she had the best stats in the game?"

"Nope."

I shook my head at the floor. "I don't think you have much reason to dislike her when she didn't even do anything to you. All she wanted to do was race. Sound familiar?"

Turbo continued to glare at me he didn't comment. I think he knew I was right but he didn't want to admit it. You know, he never talks about how it was like living in _Sugar Rush_. I wonder if maybe he doesn't have many memories to reflect on about it, seeing as how the writers didn't even give him much to remember about _TurboTime_. Speaking of which…

"You know, they made a game for some of the cell phones that let you play a new version _TurboTime_, right?"

He rolled his eyes and scoffed at that. "Yeah, I saw some footage on that YouTube site. He looks nothing like me. _My_ game was way better than that little pasty faced wanna-be's."

I had a feeling he was going to say that and I just laughed in response.

"I bet you'd still play it though," I kept on messing with him, punching his arm.

He rubbed where I punched him and gave me a slight glare.

"Well, what else you want to do?" he asked me instead, changing the subject.

"Let's see if a movie's playing," I suggested as I grabbed the remote to switch the settings around back to cable. "Awww, _The Notebook'_s on."

He crinkled his nose at that. "Absolutely not. I've already suffered through that once at your parents' house."

I giggled and started flipping through some more. "Don't lie, I saw you tear up a few times."

I caught a hint of a blush on him before he spat out, "I did not! Some dust flew in my eyes at those parts, that's all."

"If you say so," I smiled knowingly. "Oooh, how about "My Little Pony"?"

"Very funny, blondie."

"Awww, come on, you know you like Rainbow Dash," I said in a purposely annoying cutesy voice.

He crossed his arms and gave me a glare. "Well, _yeah_, because she's the best and fastest pony ever!"

His eyes popped open when he realized what he just said while I just started cracking up. I knew it!

"I mean…I…uh…that's just what I've read!" he stuttered out, obviously trying to cover his tracks.

"Whatever, Turbrony," I continued to laugh. I am _so_ never letting him live this down!

He lowered his eyes and bared his teeth, his face beet red now. "I am not a brony!"

I wiped my eyes from the tears that I had shed from laughing so hard. "Okay, calm down, your secret's safe with me. I like the show too, so just chill."

He huffed loudly and turned his head away from me in attempts to ignore what I said. I chuckled softly at him; he's so fun to pick on sometimes. I finally hit the Chiller channel, where they play nothing but horror movies. I _love_ horror movies and it had been a while since I actually sat down to watch one. Right now they were in between movies and it looked like one of the Friday the 13th sequels was coming on, the one with young Corey Feldman in it (one of my personal favorites of the series).

"This is a good one, I promise," I told him as I put the remote down. "It's about a serial killer wearing a hockey mask going around killing campers with a machete."

That seemed to interest him. "Sounds cool enough."

* * *

Gah, I freakin' love Jason Voorhees! He has the best kills and he's just awesome looking. Last Halloween, a month before Turbo showed up at my front door, I went to a friend's house dressed in a hockey jersey mini-dress with tore up black pantyhose, leather boots, and I painted a hockey mask on my face. It was super creepy and kick-butt. However, since I don't do crowds well, I only hung around for an hour before panic set in and I had to leave. I feel like such a loser sometimes. I bet the Turbs wouldn't have a problem staying all night at a party.

I blindly grabbed at some more popcorn in the bowl that was situated between me and Turbo as we sat on the couch. Kitty was napping above my head, completely oblivious to what was happening on tv. I wonder why she never reacts to people talking in movies? It's like she knows its fake or something. Smart girl.

"You likin' the movie, Turbs?" I asked after taking a sip of my drink to wash down the popcorn. "Turbs?"

I turned to look at him when he didn't answer and when I tell you his eyes were bugged out of his head, they were really bugged out. He looked the same way he did when he saw that needle that time at the hospital. He was just sitting there staring blankly at the tv while Jason slaughtered the person that was unlucky enough to meet him in the woods. Blood ran all over the place in all its awesome cheesy '80s glory. Turbo put a hand to his stomach like it was upsetting him.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

Instead of answering, he gagged and threw his hand over his mouth, then bolted off the couch to high-tail it to the bathroom. I heard the toilet lid slam up and then the unmistakable sound of puking. Uh-oh. I got up and slowly went back there to make sure he was okay. He had his head down above the toilet and was panting heavily after his little puke session. He dry-heaved a couple times and I reached up above him to grab a little washrag out of the cabinet so I could go wet it in the sink. After doing that, I poked his hand with it so he could grab it to wipe his mouth off.

"You all right there, buddy?"

He was still shaking a little from having thrown up and he flushed the toilet before sitting down on the floor.

"I…I've n-never seen anyone get m-murdered before," he confessed to me quietly. "Or seen that much…blood."

I was a little surprised to hear this; it's not exactly something you expect a movie villain to say.

"Not to sound insensitive," I began slowly, trying to choose my words carefully. "But…you realize that you came close to killing people yourself, right?"

He dabbed at his eyes with his hands. "I don't think I knew exactly what I was doing," he replied with a sniffle. "Like, I don't think I comprehended it was wrong or something. I just knew it was something I was supposed to do."

I think I understood. "You mean because they wrote you to be like that?"

"I think so. I don't know, I'm kind of confused now," he held his head against one of his hands as if he had a headache. "I'm not sure what aspects of my actions were my own personal choice versus _them_ telling me what to do."

Wow, being a fictional person sounds very puzzling. The more I learn about Disney life, the more depressing it sounds.

"Why would someone want to write about someone killing other people?" he asked out loud, whether or not it was rhetorical I don't know. "Why do people want to _watch _that?"

I wasn't sure what to say. "It's just…it's just for entertainment," I answered him lamely. "It's not real."

"But it _is_," he corrected me, still staring at the floor. "It's real in _our_ world. I mean, we regenerate at the end of the film but that doesn't mean we didn't die for real. I don't really remember what it felt like when I got eaten by the cybug or flew into the volcano, but I remember it was kind of scary and it hurt."

Geez, that sucks. I couldn't imagine remembering how it felt to die.

Turbo hid his face with one hand. "I'm a horrible person."

He started crying after that, nothing hysterical but it was still crying. I felt so bad for him but I didn't really know what to do or say to make him feel better. I guess I needed to try though so I stooped down and wrapped him up in a hug, letting him relax his head on my shoulder.

"You're not that bad," I started off, thinking that it maybe sounded stupid. "I mean, you didn't kill anyone, as far as I know anyway, so you're not as bad as some other villains."

Lady Tremaine and Mother Gothel are really the only two villains I hate. I scream at the television every time I watch either_ Cinderella_ or _Tangled_, two of my favorite princess movies.

"I could have though," Turbo sniffed, wiping his eyes again. "I almost killed that little girl and the one person that cared about her after I made it to where no one else did. Why did they make me want to do that? That's a terrible thing to make anyone do."

I rubbed him on the back in attempts to calm him down. To be honest, I was getting a little misty-eyed myself. I really didn't know what to say to him. I mean, what he was saying was true so I couldn't really argue against that fact.

"Turbs, listen. I don't know if this helps or not, but you're not the same person you were in the movie. I mean, you kind of are, but you're not all power-hungry and maniacal and all that kind of stuff. You haven't gone around trying to make life completely miserable for everyone, even if you do drive me up the walls sometimes. You've really gotten a lot more tolerable to deal with since the first day you showed up."

He sat there silently and listened to me, though I'm not sure if what I said did any good or not. After a few more moments, he said,

"You mean it?"

I smiled a little in spite of the situation. "Yeah, really. I kind of going out and doing stuff with you…so long as it's legal of course."

He weakly laughed at that and I gave him a little squeeze. "You gonna be okay, pal?"

"I think so."

I patted him a few times on the back and let go of him, leaning back a little so he could have room to move. He gave me an appreciative look though I could still tell his eyes were wet from the tears.

"Thanks," he said to me with a hint of a smile.

"You're welcome," I told him, feeling pretty good about myself that I was able to cheer him back up. "Come on, I'll fix you a bowl of ice cream then we can watch something more rated G."

We ended up watching a marathon of an old season of "America's Next Top Model" and making fun of everything on it, from all the wild photo shoots to the girls bickering at each other.

"Ugh, they have to wrap the snake around them!"

"That is the ugliest hair-do ever!"

"I wish they'd kick off that whiney chick already. I'm ready to slap her."

"She looks like she's growling at the camera!"

"Ooh, cat fight!"

Consider it our new guilty pleasure.


	12. The Horrors of School

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I stared blankly through the windshield, then shut my eyes and sighed, shaking my head at the floorboard.

"I cannot believe you talked me into coming out here."

"Pfft, you know deep down you have the spirit of adventure in you." Turbo shot me a huge grin and waved his arm out towards the view we had from the windshield, like a peddler showing off his wares. "I'm just helping you get it out."

We were parked in front of the haunted school outside city limits. See, Turbo had watched one of those ghost hunting programs on tv and heard about this local place that was supposedly filled with ghosts. Naturally, he wanted to go in and see if it was true or bogus. The school was built sometime in the 1930s and was one of those two-story buildings with lots of intricate stone designs in the front. I'm not sure what that's called but it looks pretty awesome...and creepy given that we came out here in the middle of the night.

"So what's the story on this place?" I quizzed him since I didn't watch the show, closing the door to the Corvette behind me. Yeah, I made him drive out here since it was _his_ idea.

"You don't know much about your own city do you?" he responded, giving me the extra flashlight. He switched his on and let the light shine on various places on the darkened building.

"I don't even like living here, why should I care what goes on in it? Just tell me the story."

"Oh there's all kinds of stuff about it!" he answered excitedly, doing that thing he does where he moves his hands a lot while he talks. "This one kid jumped off the roof when he flunked his big test, because his dad said that if he failed then he was going to beat him. Then this other one got jealous of another kid and stabbed him after school and stuffed him in a locker. Then there was something about this crazy lunch lady poisoning the food and-"

I held my hands up, having heard enough. "Okay I don't think I need to hear anymore. That's creepy."

He smirked at me. "Hey, you wanted to know. It's no worse than those horror movies you watch."

The wind blew and I got chills down my spine. A few dead leaves whished past us and the full moon above us became shrouded with fog. I suddenly started getting the creeps. If we had come out in the daytime, I wouldn't have been worried about this but it was the witching hour and I was more than a little antsy about being out here.

"Let's go, blondie, we're wasting moonlight here!" Turbo was whining, flashing his light in my face to get my attention.

I shut my eyes and turned away. "Hey, quit that!"

He rolled his eyes again but did as he was told, then headed off in the direction of the front door. I debated following him inside or staying out here in the car. I looked around the abandoned parking lot, all the creepy shadows everywhere, and the wind brushing against the bushes, and...um.

"Wait for me!" I called to him, jogging after him. No way was I staying out here alone. Some psycho homeless bum or escaped convict could be lurking about.

He turned his head and gave me this smug expression, like he knew that I was going to wind up tagging along. I guess since we've lived together for three months now, we've kinda figured each other for the most part. He's so random sometimes though, sometimes I think he'll do one thing and he does another. At least my life's more interesting with him around, even if most of it is stuff I'd rather never do again (like get chased by cops).

Turbo pried the front door open, which was already partially cracked open anyway, the glass broken in several places where rocks had been thrown. The school's entrance was littered with rocks, old papers, a couple of books, and other random items. Dust covered every surface and invisible cobwebs appeared when we shined our lights over them. I think I may have seen a few roaches scurry by. Ugh. Even the schools in Silent Hill are in better condition than this!

I held my nose in disgust. "Eww, it smells musty in here."

He sneezed a few times. "And dusty. But it's nifty, right!"

"Nifty?" I asked flatly with a cocked brow. "Did you really just say that?"

"Gimme a break," he grumbled in aggravation. "I was supposedly made in the '80s according to my creators so I'm going to say out-of-date things sometimes."

My eyes rolled up but then stopped when I saw something on the ceiling. "Yuck, it is that...mold? Ew, we better not catch some weird illness in here."

Turbo moved onward without me and I stepped carefully through the litter to follow him. It was so quiet and dark in here, the perfect place for a hideout. I seriously hoped there wasn't anyone currently using it for that purpose or we just mind end up on milk cartons.

"You know, I was thinking," Turbo started chatting casually as if we were strolling on the beach instead of inside a ghostly building. "That parking lot out there's pretty huge. You think it'd make a good makeshift track if we clean it up?"

It _was_ a huge parking lot.

"I dunno, Turbs," I began, getting a little closer to him as he decided to enter one of the classrooms to investigate. "It's probably illegal to do that. Technically, we're kinda trespassing as it is."

"You worry too much," he dissed me, shining his own light around the room. Lots of students' desks were there along with the teacher's, plus an old chalkboard that still had the faint markings of math problems on them. It sort of made me sad to look at it for some reason.

"Hey, just because those cops from last week let you off the hook doesn't mean it'll always be like that," I lightly fussed at him. "You're not going to get away with stuff forever, you know."

He turned around to face me, shining his light on his own face to make himself look scary. And yes, it's scary, trust me.

"Good job jinxing me, blondie," he growled, lowering his eyes at me. "Now that you said it, it really _will _happen."

I was a little taken aback at how serious he was getting over it.

"Geez, maybe you should take your own advice and lighten up," I responded to him. "I'm just telling you the truth. Your good luck streak is gonna end some day and it's not gonna be pretty."

"Be quiet!" he hissed at me, poking me back away from him a little. "Stop talking like that, you're going to curse me."

I scoffed. "Oh, please. Calm down already. And don't talk about curses while we're in a haunted school."

Turbo grumbled at me but he kept quiet. Sometimes I think he doesn't argue back because he doesn't want to hear me gripe at him, like he's letting me win. Sort of like I do with him sometimes.

* * *

The playground was definitely creepy. The swings were moving on their own, the chains clinking softly as the wind blew against them. I was looking out of one of the broken windows at it then decided it was freaking me out too much to watch anymore.

I turned around away from the window. "Hey, Turbs, did you see the-"

He was gone. What the, he was just right there behind me! Where'd he disappear to?

"Uh, Turbs? Turbo?" I called out, suddenly feeling very much alone and vulnerable.

I peeked out into the hallway, shining my light everywhere to find him, even though I knew that if he'd been out there I would've been able to see his glowing eyes. I'll admit, I was spooked out at being suddenly alone in this place but I had a feeling that he was doing this on purpose. I wasn't about to let him win.

I walked out in the hall and put a hand on my hip. "All right, quit playing around. I know you're trying to scare me and it's not going to work."

Silence was the only answer I received. I gulped a little, still trying to act like I wasn't creeped out.

"Turbs, this isn't funny! Where are you?"

I know this trick. He's gonna pop out from somewhere any second now just like that flashback scene I wrote in one of my fics. Only we're not in a jungle, we're in a "haunted" schoolhouse. Perfect setting for one of his pranks. I was expecting it any second now.

"Dude, seriously, if you don't come out right now, I'm gonna-"

I heard the faint sound of footsteps behind me and I whipped around really fast and went, "BOO!"

"Ahh!"

Turbo jumped and let a scream out when I did that, putting a hand over his heart. "You scared me!"

My mouth spread into a grin then I busted out laughing. I just scared a Disney villain by going "boo"! How sweet and epic is _that_?

"You scream like a little girl!" I kept on laughing, shining my light in his face the same way he did to me outside.

He bared his teeth and glared at me. "I do _not_!"

"Yes, you do!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!" Turbo thought about what he just said then stomped his foot. "Darn you."

I laughed and he opened his mouth to start fussing at me about tricking him like that but then we heard a crashing noise from somewhere down the hall. I tensed up and shined my flashlight wildly trying to see what had caused it. We were both super quiet now and I know for a fact that I could hear my pulse in my ears and the ends of my hair raised up.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered a little shakily.

"Yeah," he whispered back. "Want to go check it out?" he asked in his regular voice.

"Are you nuts?" I tried to shout at him in a whisper, which is very hard to do. "What if it's a murderer? Or a rabid dog? Or that lunch lady ghost?"

Turbo patted me on the head like I was some little kid. "There there, you aspiring writers have such vivid imaginations."

He walked off in the direction of the noise and I began to wonder if he'd lost his mind. Yes, I am just now wondering that, amazingly enough given what all he's put me through. Naturally, I didn't want to be left alone in this spooky hallway with a possible murderer around and...okay, ignore the fact that I _live_ with a supposed murderer. I'm talking about murderers that I'm _not_ friends with. I never thought I'd ever say those sentences in my life.

So off I went trailing after the Turbs while he so gallantly went to investigate whatever it was that made that crash. Me? I was sticking pretty close to him so when he stopped suddenly, I crashed into him.

"Watch it!"

"Sorry!"

We peeked inside the room that we thought we had heard the crash come from. Turned out to be some teacher's lounge, with an old broken leather couch, some tacky potted plants that of course had withered away to dirt at this point, a snack machine with overly expired things in it, and a small table. But that wasn't exactly what we were looking at. See, the snack machine had been what had toppled over, the glass broken and snacks shattered everywhere. Yet, that _still_ wasn't what we were looking at. There was a man there grabbing all the snacks he could to stuff in his overcoat pockets (did he not realize he would probably die eating that stuff?), obviously having been the true source of the noise. He had his own flashlight laying over to the side of him where it was shedding some light on his treasure.

I wanted to bolt for the car but my legs were frozen in place. Being the brave idiot he is, Turbo marched right in there much to my horror and stood there behind the guy watching him for a few seconds then tapped him on the back of his head a few times. Is he crazy?! He might have a gun and shoot him! I felt a chill when the man startled and then turned around to look up, then I saw the most horrified look cross his face. I suppose if I were alone in a haunted school and some guy with gray skin and glowing yellow eyes were to look down at me, I'd be giving that look too.

I heard Turbo say, "Whatcha got there, boss?" in his most casual friendly voice and the man opened his mouth and started screaming bloody murder. I mean, he tore out of that room so fast, knocking me over in the process and ran like a maniac down the hall and out of the building.

"It's true! It _is_ haunted! Demons, ahhhhhhhh!"

I scrambled to stand back up, rubbing my butt where I'd landed on it, and Turbo was busy cracking up at the whole scenario.

"That guy thought I was a demon, hahahaha!" he laughed, wiping the corner of his eye. "That'll keep him from showing back up."

"Whoa, wait wait wait," I interrupted him. "You seriously want to stay here?"

He shined the light in my face, which was quickly becoming an annoying habit, and replied, "Did you not hear me earlier when I said I wanted to turn the parking lot into a track? I can't do that if mangy bums are going to be lurking about. Ooh, chocolate!"

My eyes widened when I saw him reach for some of the chocolate candy bars on the floor. "Turbs, don't eat that! You'll get really sick!"

The elated smile he had been wearing dropped immediately and he sadly threw it back on the floor. "Darn."

Long story short, he dragged me around the rest of the school going on a "bum hunt" to expel any other stray people that might be around. It was two o'clock in the morning by the time he was satisfied with exploring the place and it was around that time that I had finally stopped being creeped out and more annoyed.

"Hope you got some work boots, blondie," he said while we finally drove off and headed back home. "We're coming back tomorrow and tidying this place up."

I shot him a tired glare. "Of all the Disney characters to come live with me, I get the one that wants a haunted race track."


	13. TurBUSTED

_Apple: Bonus points for you on the "UP" reference :) _

_That Guest Person: Thanks, you're kind as usual :) Good luck on your fic!_

_And now...the moment I believe a lot of you have been waiting for...dun dun dun  
_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

It had taken approximately three weeks but we finally got that parking lot cleaned up, thanks to the extra help of my Bro and Sis on the weekends. Since it was so far away from the public eye, cops didn't really check the place out so we didn't have any issues there. The lot looked even bigger than it originally did now that it was spotless so Turbo had plenty of room to take his 'Vette for a spin. I get such a kick seeing that big smile of his when he's had his fill for the day, ready to go grab a chocolate milkshake to cool down with.

He's been living with me almost four months now and I have to say I've gotten rather used to having a houseguest at this point. Honestly, I couldn't imagine living by myself again after all this, even if he still acts like a total pest sometimes (he still uses up the hot water). I rather like having someone to go do stuff with at any given moment, even if the majority of the time it's something I'd rather not be doing or is something that only an insane person would want to do.

I was doing some early spring cleaning around the apartment while Turbs was gone. It was Saturday and he always takes off before I even had a chance to cook breakfast, so he just grabbed some chocolate fudge Pop Tarts to eat on the road. I had already finished up the kitchen and the pantry, the dumpster outside having been visited by me three times already, and I was just starting on my bathroom when I heard a knock on the door.

It was getting close to lunchtime and I honestly wasn't sure who would be coming over for a visit now. The only person I was expecting at this time would've been the Turbs but he has a key to let himself in so he wouldn't have to knock. I wiped my brow and dusted myself off to go to the door. I swung it open and-

"Haha, hello there!"

My eyes grew wide and my breath caught when I laid my eyes on none other than the Mouse himself...yeah that's right M-I-C-K-E-Y was on my front porch. He was giving me his trademark grin and sticking his hand out to greet me with and he was dressed in his formal attire that you see him wear on the "House of Mouse" show they used to play.

"Muh...Muh...Mickey?" I stuttered out, sticking my hand out to shake his gloved one.

He did his little laugh he does and said, "Yep, that's me!"

I don't know how I missed the behemoth sized man standing just away from my porch, since he couldn't fit underneath the overhang part. I heard him clear his throat and I saw a large hand kind of wave at me even though I couldn't see his face. My eyes grew even bigger. _No. Way._

"Hi there, sorry to bother you," Wreck-It Ralph told me almost bashfully. I saw his hand disappear to perhaps rub behind his neck. "We...uh...wondered if perhaps Turbo was here."

It took me a few minutes to process this. Okay, first of all Mickey Mouse and Wreck-It Ralph are both standing in front of me...in the flesh. This really shouldn't shock me since I've been living with Turbo for so long but the fact was that I still held a suspension of disbelief when it came to the other Disney characters being real. I never dreamed I'd ever see any of them. I guess I thought the deal with Turbo being around was just a crazy fluke of nature even though I had heard plenty about the real Disney World.

Mickey looked up at me (the top of ears reached just past my elbows) with a concerned look. "Ma'am?"

I startled when he spoke to me again and I ran a hand over my face. "Sorry, I uh...wasn't expecting company. You said you're looking for Turbo?"

Mickey folded his hands in front of him. "Yes, ma'am, we were finally able to pinpoint where he'd disappeared to when he escaped into the transportation pod. It took a few months but we're here to take him back where he belongs."

Oh no! They're gonna take him back to prison! I can't let them do that!

And so I lowered my gaze at Mickey and crossed my arms, retorting, "If you think I'm letting you take him back to that prison, you're nuts. And you guys ought to be ashamed of yourselves for even having such a terrible place. I can hardly imagine Walt approving of such a location."

Mickey looked taken aback and I saw Ralph bend down to where I could finally see his face, which was currently one of confusion. Mickey turned around to look at him and they seemed to be talking with their eyes. I was getting impatient.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" I snapped at them, prompting Mickey to spin back around.

Mickey started twiddling his thumbs. "Um...well, you see, I think there's been a misunderstanding."

"Yeah, you're right. If you two think I'm just gonna hand him over to you, _you_ are the misunderstood ones."

I can't believe I'm being snarky with Mickey Mouse. However, the fact remains that Turbo's my friend and the way he freaks out over just hearing the word "prison" is enough for me to try and keep him out of it.

Mickey held his hands up in front of him in a peace-seeking gesture. "Now hang on. I don't know what all he told you but I guarantee it wasn't entirely truthful."

Ralph decided to add his two cents in. "Yeah, I mean he's a villain. They lie all the time and he definitely does it more than the rest of them."

I threw a glare in his direction. "Oh yeah? Sounds pretty funny coming from a guy that gets ostracized for being a "bad guy" and tries to defy that label, doesn't it?"

He looked almost ashamed of himself and glanced off in another direction to avoid my steely gaze. I feel nauseated for berating these guys but...what the heck was I supposed to do?

Mickey sighed dejectedly and turned back towards Ralph. "We had a feeling this would happen anyway, right? That whoever took him in would more than likely be on his side?"

Ralph nodded and my glare only increased. "Don't talk about me like I'm not standing here. I'm getting really P.O.'d."

"Do you have a dvd player?"

That's like asking if Turbo likes cars.

* * *

Ralph obviously couldn't come into my apartment due to his size so only Mickey could come in. I admittedly felt bad about leaving him out there but it wasn't like I could raise the roof for him. The dvd that Mickey had started and he jumped on the couch with me. Some cheesy elevator music came on and the words "Disney Villain Rehab Center" came up on the screen, with a giant fancy looking white building in the background with a large fountain in the front of it.

"What is this?" I asked as we went through various scenes of the building, with big fancy rooms, doctor offices, and even living establishments that resembled dorm suites.

"_This_," Mickey began, holding his arm out towards the television, "is where Turbo came from. He was living here when he busted out."

I stared at the screen for a minute longer then grabbed the remote to pause it.

"No, that can't be right," I said, shaking my head slowly in disbelief. "He said he was in _prison_."

"He might have thought of it that way. It's actually a rehabilitation center for our various villains that have trouble coping with their roles once their movie is over."

I saw a scene of Jafar, Maleficent, Frollo and Hades playing a card game. The Queen of Hearts was being tackled by some doctors and injected with a sedative before being placed in a strait-jacket and wheeled away, because she thought the group was abusing the cards, like they were living people. Ursula was being served a seafood dinner in her special underwater suite. Gaston was engaged in an arm-wrestling match with Shan Yu.

"That was during recreational time, when there's no classes or sessions going on," Mickey explained as he skipped over some other stuff that I couldn't make out. "Our doctors spend special quality time with each villain that needs help dealing with his or herself. Not all our villains go here, some of them are perfectly fine and adjust into society well and our allowed to live within their respective movie universes.

"Sometimes if they are doing exceptionally well in the program, they get a green light to go visit their own worlds for a short while until they have to check back in."

I heard a taped session of Scar discussing how he feels the need to be close to his family but they don't trust him after what crimes he committed. Then there was one about Cruella discussing dogs being afraid of her before she goes into a psychotic rant about polka dots and puppy skins; not too much later, I heard someone tackle her to the floor to shut her up.

"What...what about...Turbo?" I asked quietly, curling my legs up on the couch with me.

"I don't have any footage of him," Mickey replied hastily, cutting the dvd off. "He got bounced around to several specialists that tried to work with him but he wouldn't cooperate with anyone. He was constantly harassing the other villains. He particularly liked hiding from Cruella and barking at her so she'd go nuts from hearing invisible puppies."

If this were normal circumstances, I might have found that pretty hilarious. Right now though...I felt sick to my stomach.

"We tried to keep him under constant surveillance but what with his hacking skills, he was able to bypass our security systems and escape undetected overnight. By the time we discovered he was gone, we had no idea where he'd gone off to because he'd encrypted a code into the machine so we couldn't follow him. That's why it took so long for us to show up."

I couldn't believe this. He lied to me? This whole time he'd been here, he'd been lying to me about prison? I just...I can't even comprehend it. What the heck is it about me that makes people want to _lie_ to me? I guess Mickey could see that I was upset because he put his hand on my shoulder.

"I realize this is probably difficult for you right now, but-"

"He was...he was my _friend_," I finally said, my voice starting to crack. "We were _friends_."

"No, he's not," Mickey kept saying to me. "He just took advantage of the first person he happened across. I'm sorry this happened to you, I really am, but we really need to get him back before he causes too much damage in the Real World."

My mind was whirling. "He said...he was on p-probation. And that he...he couldn't h-hurt me..."

"Well, we do offer "probation", like I said earlier, but certainly not to him," Mickey clarified for me gently. "And none of us are allowed to physically hurt people. It's just part of the Disney Code of Honor we live by."

This isn't happening. This can't possibly be happening. I can't believe how stupid I was to believe anything that came out of that twerp's mouth. My family's right...I'm a doormat.

Before I could get another word or thought out, Mickey and I heard what sounded like screaming and shouting outside. By the time we both got to the door to open it, I recognized that it was Ralph and Turbo hollering at each other, and every now and then I heard Turbo screaming my name to come help. Apparently, he had come home and Ralph had snatched him up in one of his large hands before he could think to drive away. He was currently dangling from Ralph's fingers in mid-air and swing his fists and legs trying to free himself. Ralph had a bored look on his face since this was all in vain.

Turbo froze when he saw Mickey and I and he quit struggling. Our eyes met and his were wide with what I assumed was fear.

"Don't let them take me back to prison!" he was begging me with this heartbreaking voice. "I've been good, tell 'em I've been good!"

Looking at him like that, helpless to defend himself and looking for me to bail him out, made me almost remember that he was my buddy. But then all this new information I'd just heard made me so dang confused and that only served to really anger me.

"You _lied_ to me!" I screamed at him, shaking with rage. "How dare you, you lied to me this whole time!"

Everyone shut up and stared at me. Ralph dropped Turbo to the ground where he sat up on his knees, staring at me like a little lost kid.

"No, I didn't!"

I gritted my teeth and I felt tears squirting out of my eyes. "Yes, you did!" I insisted, not moving from the porch area. "You...you jerk, I felt sorry for you! I took you in because I felt sorry for you and you lied to me about _everything_!"

He looked completely flabbergasted at this. "But...but...but I wasn't..."

"You were never in prison, you were at a _rehab_ center!" I felt my fists clench up. "God, I can't believe I fell for the stupid idea that a place like Disney World would have a prison in it to begin with!"

"I didn't lie!" he kept protesting, glancing over at Mickey when he said this. "Whatever they said to you, it's not true!"

"Stop lying to her," Ralph told him firmly.

"I saw a video, moron, so stop pretending you were ever in any horrible dark damp prison cell!" I snapped at Mr. Liar Liar Pants On Fire, half-yelling at him and half-crying now. "I can't believe I fell for your sob story! I took care of you for almost four months! We hung out together; I helped you get a _car; _I helped you do everything out here and I was stupid enough to think we were actually friends!"

Turbo looked deflated, his normally bright eyes having gotten dimmer the more I talked.

"But...but we _are_ friends..."

"No, we're not!" I growled at him bitterly. "We never were friends because you were just using me. You filthy rat, to think I actually cared about you! I freakin' defended you when other people talked crap about you. I told you that you could be part of my family."

"Blondie, please, I can explain," he said quietly. "I...I didn't mean..."

"Shut up and save it for someone who cares!"

I stormed back inside the house and grabbed up all his crap that he brought with him when he got here in his duffel bag; just the bare necessities. I went back outside and chunked it at him where it landed lifelessly in front of him.

"I never want to see you again! I hate you!"

Turbo cringed when I said that and for a moment I felt bad about saying it. Ralph and Mickey, who had only just met me, even shrank back when I said it. Turbo looked at me with these big pitiful puppy dog eyes and I felt something stab my heart so hard that it made me sick to my stomach.

I ran back inside my apartment and slammed the door shut before I could hear anymore out of anyone, locking it before I ran to my bathroom. I collapsed in front of my toilet and started puking and crying all at the same time. The more I cried, the more I threw up; and every time I threw up, I'd just cry some more. I don't know how long I sat there but when I was finally done, I flopped onto the floor and kept on sobbing.

How could he do this to me? How could he lie like that for so long? Am I really so dang gullible that I just believe whatever comes out of people's mouths?

This is what happens when I make friends with people. Something always goes wrong. Whether they stab me in the back or just gradually fade away from me, they just disappear and never look back. It's like what Peyton Sawyer used to say on _One Tree Hill_: "People always leave".

I let myself get too attached, like I always do. I should have known this was going to end poorly. Why I thought this particular friendship would actually last, I don't have a clue. I guess I'm just that stupid.

Fine, what do I care? I don't need him. I can do just fine. I never needed him anyway, so I can just do what I did before he ever showed up and made a mockery of my life.

Wow, it's really quiet in here by myself...

I'm fine...really, I am.

* * *

_Will Turbo and I ever see each other again? Was he really lying the whole time?_


	14. Disney World!

_Maybe I should have handed out tissues with that last one. My bad!_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

It's been two days since Turbo went back to Disney World...since I found out he'd been lying to me the whole time I'd known him. My family keeps calling to check on me and I'll say I'm fine. In reality, I don't know how I feel.

All his racing games are still piled in a neat little stack by my entertainment center. The horde of chocolate from Valentine's Day is still laying there in the corner of the living room waiting for someone to eat some of it. His car magazines are still scattered in with my shopping catalogs. His Corvette is still parked outside next to my Corolla.

I don't get greeted with cold water when I take a shower.

I don't have someone poking me in the shoulder or kicking my bed to wake me up.

I don't have anyone dragging me out of the apartment to go on insane adventures with.

I should be glad he's gone. Life is back to normal...it's completely sane again. I should be happy about him being away.

So why do I feel like crap? Why do I feel this giant hole, like someone ripped a part of me out? Why do I still even feel like I care when it doesn't even make sense for me to? Why do I always allow these jerk-off men to make me feel like this? He was nothing but a manipulative con...just like he was in the movie. I really shouldn't be surprised. At the same time, something keeps telling me that I'm wrong.

I groaned and rolled up into a sitting position. Kitty came strolling up to the couch and hopped up, meowing loudly and rubbing at my hands to be petted. I plucked her up into my lap to cuddle while I stared blankly into space. Maybe watching a movie will make me feel better. I moved Kitty over so I could head over to the entertainment center and open up the dvd drawer.

_Wreck-It Ralph_ was the first thing I saw lying there.

That's when I cried for the first time since Turbs left.

What kind of friend am _I_? What kind of friend leaves their friends to be eaten by the wolves? What's wrong with me? I just let them take him away and disowned him like he meant nothing to me. That wasn't even true; he was practically my best friend. I never realized just how miserable and lonely my pitiful little life was until he disappeared...and I made it happen.

I'm never going to see him again and it's all my fault. Maybe he had a reason for lying to me. Heck, maybe he didn't trust me with the truth. I mean, apparently I'm not the trustworthy type since I just handed him over to the enemy.

He couldn't have been lying about everything. That time not too long ago that he had a breakdown after watching a Jason movie couldn't have been faked by the greatest actor of all time. Okay, maybe he'd been lying about what exactly went down in Disney World but...maybe it was possible that he actually changed while he was here.

_Sigh._

I'm a horrible terrible person that doesn't deserve to have friends.

Kitty came up to me and meowed some more, rubbing her face in mine and getting her whiskers wet because my face was tear-soaked. I picked her up and hugged her, not too tight to hurt her though. She's always been the type that comes up to you when you're crying, even when she was just a few months old. Animals are better than people, I think, they don't hurt you.

I put her down after a few minutes and wiped my face, then stared blankly at my television. A thought came to me as I remembered that Mickey left that dvd in my player. Some crazy curious part of me wanted to torture myself more and watch it again so I turned everything on and played it. I skipped over the parts I already saw then stopped it when I reached the part that Mickey had fast-forwarded through.

_"Unfortunately, some of our villains are simply adamant about rejecting the many programs we offer, continuously causing problems. In these cases, we have no choice to place them in the Prison Ward-"_

My eyes popped open at the word "prison" and I leaned forward where I sat on the floor. A huge stone gray building zoomed into view on the television that was attached to the side of the main building, something that wasn't shown at the start of the movie. The camera went up some dark gloomy stairs and paused at various doors that were bolted shut, each of them possessing a little barred window at the top of the door and a small slit at the bottom of it so the guards could push a tray of food through it.

_"We don't enjoy utilizing this particular ward but every now and then we must use it. Very few of our residents have had to come through here, and usually only for a short while before they accept our help."_

The camera zoomed in on one particular cell door and I thought I saw something in the little window. I skipped back a few frames and paused it, my hand over my mouth in shock. I could barely make out a set of glowing yellow eyes in the background staring towards the camera, like they were looking right at me.

Shaking all over, I dropped the remote. Holy crap, he was telling the truth! He really had been in a prison! What the heck, so wait...Mickey Mouse lied to me? He said there wasn't a prison and also that there wasn't any footage of Turbo on this dvd. Holy mother of...I can't believe it!

Curse you, Mickey Mouse! I always liked Donald and Goofy better anyway! UGH!

The dvd played to the end while I sat there and fumed about being lied to by Mickey Freakin' Mouse.

_"If you wish to visit our establishment please call this toll-free number-"_

Whoa, wait a sec. Visit? You can visit this place? I skipped backwards to see the number again and paused it. Wow this is nuts. I wonder...

I grabbed my house phone and dialed the number, my stomach weighted down with lead butterflies and my heart thumping loudly. After a few rings, I heard the pre-recorded voice of Jiminy Cricket telling me to press one to schedule an appointment, press two to speak to someone on the hotline because of an emergency, or press three to arrange a visit.

I hung up for the time being, not really sure if this was something I wanted to do. I mean, geez. Visit Disney World? Granted, I've always wanted to visit the theme park...yeah I suck, go ahead and say it. I've never been. Shut up. But yeah, go visit the _real_ Disney World? Would I even be allowed? I mean, apparently this dvd was only to be viewed by actual residents of the world itself, not to be seen by real human eyes. Would I really be able to go into that dimension? Would I be prepared to witness the things that would be there?

I thought about poor Turbs sitting alone in that prison cell, with no friends or family or _anybody_ coming to visit or talk to him. Then I remembered saying that I hated him and didn't want to see him again when I didn't really mean it. I was just so _mad_ at the time. I'm such a jerk.

"Kitty," I addressed my cat, who looked up at me lazily from her spot on the couch. "I'm going to Disney World...after I get dressed."

* * *

About an hour later, I was ready to go to Disney World. I remembered to call Mom and tell her I was going out of town for a while and to let herself in with the other spare key she had to take care of Kitty for me. Decked out in my white cami, denim jacket, flared jeans, and sparkly white tennis shoes with rhinestones I was prepared to visit the Wonderful World of Disney. I even made myself look all dolled up for the heck of it.

What? I'm a girl, okay?

Anywho, I redialed the number I had called earlier and chose option three. It rang a couple times then I heard,

_"Hello there! Professor Ludwig Von Drake speaking!"_

HOLY CRAP! I'm speaking to Prof. Von Drake! No way!

"Um, hi there, Professor," I replied back, suddenly feeling rather anxious.

_"Hmmm...I see you are calling from out of area_," I heard him say in a curious manner. "_Tell me, what universe might you be phoning in from?"_

Oh brother, he probably means which _movie_ universe.

"I..uh..well, actually I'm..."

I heard him laugh then say, _"Of course I know you are from the Real World! I'm an expert at deducing these things, you know."_

I couldn't help but grin at that. This is one of my favorite members of Donald's relatives after all.

"Hey, uh, can I ask a question?"

_"But of course!"_

"According to the unofficial Duck family tree by Don Rosa, you're married to Scrooge's sister Matilda. That true?"

_"Hahaha! Who else would I be married to?"_

Yes! I knew it!

"Aw that's sweet!"

_"Yes, she is. Um...I can't seem to remember what we were talking about before."_

I forgot he was a bit of an airhead. "I called to schedule a visit and you answered the phone."

_"I did? Oh, yes, that's right! That's why they gave me this fancy office with a desk, hahaha! Let me think, you are from the Real World though, how would I get you here?"_

I heard him mumble some stuff to himself and I can just imagine him scratching his head while he thinks.

_"Oh of course! I'll just use The Von Drake Transportation Device and hook it up to the phone...like THIS!"_

Something really crazy happened when he did whatever it was he did. My body felt like it was getting separated into individual cells and then started spinning around. Crazy colors exploded like a puked up kaleidoscope getting blasted like fireworks on the Fourth of July. After about a minute of this, I felt myself getting pieced back together and realized I was laying on my back on a carpeted floor.

I opened my eyes once my head stopped spinning then jerked in shock when I saw the beaming face of Ludwig von Drake staring down at me over my head.

"Hello there!" the scholarly duck greeted me cheerfully, raising his hat up in the air like he always did in the cartoons. "I see my invention worked, like I knew it would, hahaha!"

He jerked at his jacket lapels and looked pretty proud of himself. "I _am_ a genius after all."

Wow, he really _is_ the expert on everything. I stood myself up and...geez, he's short. Not as short as Mickey was, but he's still rather short. The top of his head comes up to my shoulder (I'm 5' 3'').Oh well.

"Say, is it okay that you brought me here?" I asked him, glancing around the office we were in. As expected, it had a globe, encyclopedias, and posters of science equations on them everywhere.

He rocked back and forth on his feet with his hands behind his back. "Why ever not?"

"Have you ever brought a real live person here before?"

Ludwig stopped rocking himself and scratched under his bill. I'd say his chin but let's be serious, it's a bill.

"I don't think so," he replied finally, giving off that goofy smile of his. "I'm fairly sure I'd remember something like that! I think..."

I'd love to stick here and chat with him but I really needed to get out of here. I grabbed him by his shoulders so he'd concentrate on me.

"Look, Professor, I need to get to the Prison Ward. You know where it is?"

He laughed at my question while feeling around his head for his glasses so he could clean them off. "I know everything, dear child!"

He gave me a bunch of directions which really wasn't that complicated after he got his lefts and rights correct. I dashed on down the hall and thankfully there wasn't anybody about. I guess it was session hour or something loony like that. Anyway, I was sneaking down the hall and that's when I felt something grab a hold of my waist and jerk me up to the ceiling and I disappeared into the ventilation system.

Once I got over the initial shock of having been carried upwards, that's when I finally laid eyes on the individual responsible.

"Hmm hmm hmm, why hello," Kaa chuckled at me, flipping his head upside down to look me in the eyes.

* * *

_Will I ever make it to the prison and find Turbo? Or will I become Kaa's supper instead? _


	15. No One Does Rescue Missions Like Dixie

_Apple: Kaa is the hypnotizing python from The Jungle Book._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I promptly closed my eyes and turned my head, knowing what Kaa's game was. "Dude, I've seen the movie countless times, don't bother trying to hypnotize me."

I could feel his coils wrap around me, getting tighter every second, my lungs feeling like they were on fire.

"That hurtssss my feelingsss," the python said sadly, using the tip of his tail to grab at my chin to force me to face him, though I kept my eyes shut. "I only wanted to sssay hello."

"Yeah right."

"You don't...trussst me?"

"Nope."

"Maybe I could ssssing to you..."

"_Please_ refrain from doing so."

"I bet you have lovely eyessss," he was telling me in a soothing voice. "You won't let me look at them?"

I sighed the best I could while getting constricted. "Why are you even _here_? There's quite a disagreement among the fanbase on whether or not you're even a villain."

"Hmm hmm hmm, I guess you could sssay I'm here becaussse I'm on the "sssee food" diet," he chuckled darkly, his coils shivering a bit. "I have quite the appetite."

So he's here because he has a problem controlling his lust for eating people? Wow, that's...kind of disturbing...especially considering that he has me all wrapped up like his own personal human burrito. Sorry, fangirls, but there is nothing remotely enticing about being nearly suffocated by a python. Yes, I have seen the fanart, don't deny it.

"So why are you hiding in the ventilation shafts?" I had to ask, trying hard not to open my eyes.

"Oh, I hypnotized the fool that looked at me while I wasss in my cell and he let me out," Kaa hissed with glee, his coils shaking every time he let a chuckle out. "I haven't had much luck finding ssssupper...and ssssince you are not from around here, no one will misssss you."

Okay, he's starting to really irk me here. I don't have time to get eaten by an animated python with an eating problem.

"Look here, _hungry eyes_," I snapped at him angrily. "I highly doubt Walt would approve of you eating live humans that are fans of his. In fact, I bet he'd be ashamed of you."

I didn't hear anything for a moment and I dared to take a peek. The large carnivorous snake looked rather sad and was hanging his head down, all hint of villainy gone for the time being.

"Oh dear, I never thought of that...I wouldn't want to upssset our Creator."

I felt his coils unravel from me and I immediately felt relief all over. He still had his head down and he had this sort of pained look about him.

"I feel bad about eating the entire cassst of _The Black Cauldron_ now..."

WHAT?

"You ate _all_ of them?!" I shrieked at him, not believing what I just heard.

"Why do you think Eilonwy isssn't in the Princesss lineup?"

Oh...oh my...I always _did_ wonder about that but...oh wow, uh...Kaa's really freakin' me out, no kidding here. I need to get away from him pronto.

"Kaa, I know you're going through some kind of...crisis right now," I began, hurriedly choosing my words. "But maybe you can help. Do these shafts lead to the Prison Ward?"

I began to think that perhaps there were security cameras around and I didn't want to get caught.

"Yessss. Jussst go ssstraight ahead."

I thanked him but I couldn't fully move because I was still kind of trapped in his tangled up body. I kind of kicked and pushed at him a bit and then-

Oops.

By complete accident, I had kicked the majority of him out of the shaft entirely and he went quickly unwinding downwards until he finally hit the floor below. I peeked out over him and saw him shake his head.

"Why you dirty rotten little human!" he hissed angrily as he tried to untangle himself from the knots he was now in.

I grinned nervously and gave him a mocking salute in farewell and began to venture forth into the ventilation system. I thought I heard some running down below and what sounded like Kaa telling them that there was a human on the loose but they didn't seem to believe him. Phew.

I tried very hard not to make much noise as I crawled, trying to remember Prof. Von Drake's instructions while I traveled in this unconventional manner. Have you ever crawled through any of these things? It's freakin' hard!

Don't try this at home.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally deduced that I had reached close enough to the prison to let myself descend down from the ventilation shafts. I pried the vent cover loose and carefully dropped myself into the hallway...which didn't work because I ended up falling on top of someone. Maybe I should have looked around first. Stupid! So much for all those _Kim Possible_ episodes I used to watch. I would make a terrible spy.

Whoever I landed on top of had stumbled and we both fell to the floor. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt but I looked up and saw...ugh, Gaston! Of all the people to run into. The primeval-minded Frenchman stared down at me in perplexion after he rose to his full height. I grinned nervously and stood myself up, dusting off my jeans. After a few seconds of this odd staring contest, Gaston put one hand on his hip and rose the other hand up with his finger pointed to the sky, proudly declaring,

"No one falls out of ventilation shafts like Gaston!"

Whaaaaaaat? Is he...serious?

Apparently so because he began to attempt climbing his hulky frame into the very place where I had just fallen out of. I couldn't help but stare at him with a mix of disbelief and humor. I mean, what the heck is wrong with him?

As I stood there and watched Gaston try to fit his large shoulders through the vent opening, I heard the loud thumping of footsteps running behind me. Fearing it was a guard or whoever, I turned around and saw none other than Lefou, Gaston's lackey, with an alarmed look on his face.

And dang, is everyone around here _short_? So far Gaston and Wreck-It Ralph are the only tall people I've seen. Well, Turbo's a couple inches taller than me but he's still what I consider shorter than average. Lefou's about as tall as Mickey Mouse was.

"Gaston, what-what are you doing?!" he sputtered out in a panic as he dashed around me to try and jump on Gaston's legs to pull him back down. "Stop that, you're going to hurt yourself!"

"No one hurts themselves like Gaston!"

Lefou's combined weight with the villainous hunk caused them both to crash back down onto the floor, Gaston having hit his head on the wall and was rather woozy. Lefou rubbed his backside and groaned a bit. I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to laugh or not, so I bit my lip to stifle a few giggles. I mean, it's not every day you see Gaston do something stupid and knock himself out.

Lefou finally noticed me for the first time and jerked back. "Whoa, you-you're a real person!"

I rolled my eyes. "Good job, Captain Obvious. Hey, why is Gaston acting like this? He wasn't this dumb in the movie."

The dwarf-sized man blinked at me a few times as if trying to comprehend what I just asked. "Oh! Oh, right, of course you've seen the movie, since you're real and all." He cleared his throat. "Um...well, remember when he fell to his death from the top of the castle?"

I nodded. Who _doesn't_ remember that?

"Well, after the movie ended, he regenerated and such like everyone else does," Lefou continued, his eyes floating back and forth between me and Gaston, who was still acting light-headed and didn't seem to be paying us any attention. "Except, when Gaston came back, something went wrong."

He held his head down and wiped at his nose. "Instead of going back to normal, he ended up with brain damage and now all he does is think he has to do better than everyone at _everything_. All he ever says is "no one can do such and such like Gaston!" and then does it, no matter how stupid."

My mission to save Turbo went on hold for a few minutes because I found myself getting interesting in this. I started feeling kind of bad for laughing at all the "Gaston" jokes from the _House of Mouse_ show, since that pretty much meant I was laughing at someone who had a genuine mental problem.

"Everyone likes to take advantage of his situation and dare him to do really dumb stuff like sniff glue or eat paint chips or other such dangerous activities. He can't help it though, he _has_ to do it. I try to stop him but I can only do so much so he lives here for the most part," he sighed helplessly. "He does a little better when he's distracted by other activities I think."

Man, this place is a lot more depressing than I ever thought it would be. I thought it would be all fun and games meeting all these different Disney characters but really they all have serious problems like real people do.

Gaston groaned and tried to stand up so Lefou ran over to try and help him despite his much smaller stature. You know, I always thought that little twerp was just one of those dumb goons that sticks with his villain despite the abuse he goes through but that guy right there is a true friend.

"Hey, before you guys leave," I interrupted them. "Is this the right way to the prison?"

I pointed behind me and Lefou simply nodded before continuing to help Gaston. I gave them one more sympathetic look before taking off.

_Fifteen minutes of running around later..._

I finally reached what looked to be a large stone door. There wasn't any signs saying that this was in fact the entrance to the Prison Ward but it was just too obvious _not_ to be. No one was around so I creaked it open and entered into this gloomy looking corridor that had torches on the wall for light. Gee, how primitive. There's not even electricity down here?

My footsteps echoed softly as I crept down the expansive corridor, not knowing what to expect. There weren't any doors down here, just plain boring stone wall. I finally got to the end of it only to find another door. Why they thought there needed to be another door, I don't know. Anyway, I opened it and found none other than the Sheriff of Nottingham from Disney's animated _Robin Hood_ kicked back in a rolling chair behind a desk taking a snooze. The obese anthropomorphic wolf had his head ducked down and his hat pulled over his eyes as he slept, his hands folded on top of his gut just like he does in the move.

I'm kind of tickled pink at seeing him because I absolutely love all the characters that Pat Buttram voices. Shame he died, no one can mimic him perfectly that I've heard so far.

Apparently Sheriff's job is to be the warden of this gloomy dungeon, which makes sense I suppose since that's what he did in his film...only of course Robin Hood performs an epic jailbreak right under his nose. Looks like history is about to repeat itself because I intend to do my own jailbreak with the Turbs.

First I needed the keys so that meant I had to search for them without waking Sheriff up. That might be difficult because Sheriff is a light sleeper that will talk to you if you so much as make one little noise. Gulp. I'm starting to understand how Bilbo Baggins felt in _The Hobbit_ movie when he tried to rescue those ponies from the hungry trolls without getting caught...only to fail.

As expected, Sheriff kept the keys attached to his belt. However, I am not going to make the same mistake Robin made and go through all the trouble of undoing it. Me? I'm going to cut it and just slip them off that way. Much easier. Hopefully there was some scissors around...

I opened up the desk drawer and unfortunately it creaked open, and I cringed when Sheriff shifted a bit in his seat but he continued to snore soundly. Phew. Gritting my teeth, I slowly looked around in the drawer and...eureka! Scissors!

Not bothering to close the drawer all the way, I leaned over the Sheriff and carefully held the keys in one hand so that they wouldn't jingle. Then with the other hand I snipped his belt loose and then winded the keys away from him. Success! Haha, I'm so smart I amaze myself.

My success was short-lived when Sheriff yawned and I jerked back quickly, clutching the keys to my chest.

"Garsh, Nutsy, cain't a feller git a see-ester around here, ya bird brain?" Sheriff muttered grumpily as he tried to regain a comfortable position.

Normally, I'd be having a fangirl moment hearing him speak but I needed to think fast. Okay, he thinks I'm one of the vulture guards. Thinking he must be half-asleep, I decided to do my best Nutsy impression.

"Gosh, Sheriff, sorry 'bout that," I said, making my voice deeper and really dopey sounding. "But your momma called and sounded purty upset 'bout somethin'."

"Momma?"

I ducked down around the corner so he couldn't see me when he popped his eyes open.

"Oh garsh, I forgot about gettin' her that medicine!"

Lucky for me, Sheriff _had_ a mother and he threw himself out of his chair and jogged as best he could with all that weight on him out of the prison. Well that was easy. I felt pretty proud of myself of being able to get this far without having anything remotely dangerous happen to me and I chuckled a bit while I swirled the key ring around my finger.

Now to find Turbo. I'm not sure which cell could possibly be his but I figured it'd be easy enough if I could peek in all the windows. There were about five cells...all empty. I thought that was odd and I was growing angry. I better not have wasted my time finding this place. Then I noticed there was a hidden stairway that I hadn't seen earlier that led up to a second floor. Why keep him up here when there was plenty of room downstairs? Maybe Sheriff didn't want to hear him yak or something.

The second floor was just as dreary as the first one and there were also five cells up here. I peeked inside the first two to see nothing then got to the third one and-

"TURBS!"

He had to back to me, curled up in a ball on the cot they had in there. He wasn't wearing his usual attire, instead he had on an orange jumpsuit and his hair was all messed up since he didn't have a brush or anything. I wondered where his clothes were but first I needed to break him out of here.

"Turbs, wake up, it's me!"

He finally turned his head, his yellow eyes glowing dimly in the dark room and he blinked a few times.

"Blondie?"


	16. Reunited and It Feels So Turbo-Tastic

_So glad you guys are liking the way I'm doing the villains so far. I'm really trying to treat them all like real people and not just cartoon characters...even though they all have their moments lol. _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I almost cried when I heard Turbo say his nickname for me. I can't believe how much I missed the little pest. He looked so miserable laying on that cot in the dark that I almost cried just thinking about him being locked up in there before he met me.

"Hang on, I'm gonna get you out of there," I promised him as I tried to jam a key in the lock...and it didn't work.

There were ten keys and I had a gut feeling that it was going to be the last one I tried that opened it. Isn't that how it always works? Turbo shuffled over to the door and peeked out at me while I tried another key.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me in a flat voice.

"Donald's uncle, transportation device," I replied dismissively, cursing mentally when the third key failed to work.

"Oh."

He sounded tired and I felt even worse about having him locked up here. I wonder how long he had stayed here before he escaped into the Real World? If he was acting this weird after only two days, I couldn't imagine how he would have acted after a longer period of time.

"Good...I'm glad you're here," he said slowly, still sounding rather bored and uninterested.

Poor thing. I needed to get him out of here ASAP. Finally, I heard the locking mechanism click after inserting the fifth key. Woo-hoo!

"All right, Turbs, you're free!" I announced happily, swinging the door open.

Why I expected a hug, I don't know. Instead, I was greeted by being pounced on rather roughly, so much so that I landed on my back on the floor and Turbo had both his hands wrapped around my neck. His thumbs were pressing down into the base of my throat and I started gagging and trying to push him off to no avail. He was glaring at me with the most evil look he could muster in his state and it was quite obvious he was infuriated with me.

"You little witch!" he growled while he strangled me. "You thought I was_ your_ friend? I thought you were _mine_! You threw me away faster than yesterday's garbage! You _traitor_!"

My throat was on fire and I grabbed at his arms to try and pry them off of me. He's pretty dang strong for a guy with skinny arms!

"You're...hurt...ing...me..."

"Oh ho, I can hurt you in _this _world!" he informed me menacingly, continuing to glare into my eyes while he practically sat on me. Gah, dude's heavy! "That rule only applies in the Real World. Besides, I'm already in this Walt-forsaken prison, what more punishment could they really dish out on me!"

Tears were squirting out of the corners of my eyes from lack of oxygen and I was getting light-headed.

"Turbs...please...stop..."

"You lived with me for _four_ _months_ and you still believed that filthy rat's words over mine!" He voice cracked at saying this, like it hurt him to remember. "You just couldn't wait to get rid of me, pretending to care all those times I was in distress!"

Wow, I never realized how much my betrayal had hurt him. Maybe I do deserve to let him choke me to death right here in Disney World...the most hostile place on earth. Whoever would've guessed?

"I...came...here...for...you...did...n't...I?" I managed to choke out as my vision started fading away.

Instantly, Turbo pulled his hands back from my throat and I immediately felt relief at being able to breathe again. He got off me and I coughed to the side a few times and put my own hand to my burning throat. He didn't say anything while I tried to recover from my near-death experience.

"Why _did _you come here?" he finally asked me when I was able to sit up.

"You tried to kill me!"

"I don't think that answer fits the question."

I glared at him before forcing myself to stand up and look him in the eyes. "I came here because I realized that you were telling the truth and I felt bad for sending you away," I answered him, wiping my eyes with my jacket sleeve. "I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have automatically assumed you were lying just because Mickey Mouse said you were."

Turbs stood there a moment as if considering what I had just said. "That's it? You just came here to say you were sorry and to make yourself feel better about treating me like dirt, or like I was some terrible burden for you?"

I should've known he was going to make a simple apology difficult for me to do. Then again, I guess I deserve it for all the trouble I caused him.

"No," I retorted back. "I...I also kinda missed you being around."

I don't think he expected to hear that because his eyes widened a little bit. After a second, they went back into a cautious glare.

"You said you hated me."

I sighed deeply. "I know. I didn't mean it. I was just really upset because I thought you lied to me."

"You hate everyone that lies to you?" He crossed his arms and scoffed at the idea. "Geez, _everyone_ lies. I just omitted a few truths, is all. The only thing I actually lied about was being on probation, when in fact I was a fugitive on the run."

"Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?"

He rolled his eyes. "I figured it wasn't that important. Besides, I'm surprised you didn't figure it out. When you're on probation, even in _your_ world, you have to check in with an officer so they'll make sure you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. I never did that, so I thought that'd be a big enough tip off for you to know what my gig was."

I gave him a withering glare. "I'm not sure whether to be flattered that you thought I'd be smart enough to figure it out, or continue to be aggravated that you just didn't tell me the _entire_ truth and spared us from this drama."

"Well, _I'm_ not sure whether to be flattered that you missed me or keep being mad at you for proverbially stabbing me in the back."

We stood there glaring at each other for a good while, then finally he crossed his arms and looked away from me. That means_ I_ win.

"How's my car?"

I managed to smile. "Fine."

"Did you throw away my racing games, magazines, or chocolate?"

"Nope."

Turbo sighed and turned his head back to me. "I kind of miss sleeping on the couch."

"Well, you're welcome to sleep on it again if you want."

He casually began examining his fingernails. "Can I have fluffier pillows if I come back?"

My smile grew bigger. "The fluffiest."

He took his time considering this and then said, "Okay, I _guess_ I'll come back to live with you."

Gah, he sounds like he's doing _me_ a favor when really he just wants to get back to the coziest place he's ever lived in. He's secretly such a sap.

"Sorry I tried killing you."

"Sorry I made you go back to prison."

"Yeah, you ruined my New Year's Resolution thing."

I rolled my eyes but smiled when I did it. "Come on, let's find your normal attire and get outta here."

He paraded on ahead of me since he knew where his belongings were being kept. I followed behind him on the stairs and then-

_OOF_!

Turbo ran right into someone and feathers went flying everywhere. A large vulture carrying an crossbow shook his head and stared right at us. Oh wow, it's Trigger, also from _Robin Hood_!

Wait, why am I excited about this? He has a loaded crossbow and he's notorious for...

"JAILBREAK!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, accidentally fumbling his weapon to aim at the ceiling and fire it.

The arrow ricocheted off the ceiling and bounced all over the place while Turbo took aim with his foot and kicked the large bird guard out of the way. Trigger went bouncing and screaming down the stairs while Turbo leaped after him promptly slammed his head against the floor, knocking him out cold. My mouth dropped open in shock.

"Are you _crazy_! You hurt Trigger!" I screeched at him.

Turbo went up to me and slapped me hard across the face. I reeled back and held a hand against my throbbing cheek, wincing considerably.

"We don't have time for your fangirl moments!" he hollered at me as he grabbed my other wrist and dragged me the rest of the way down the stairs. "This isn't a movie, sister, this is real life, so snap to it and help me out!"

We ended up throwing Trigger's unconscious body in a cell and slamming the door shut. I threw the keys on the desk as we ran past it and on down the hallway where Turbo stopped suddenly in front of a door. He kicked it open and dashed inside but not before shutting the door again in my face. After about five minutes, he emerged wearing his regular outfit. I guess this was the room where personal belongings were kept.

"That's better," he said out loud as he adjusted his helmet better on his head.

"You know, we should get you some different clothes," I stated out loud.

Turbo shot me a daggering look. "I _like_ my suit."

I rolled my eyes, knowing he was going to say that. "Yeah, but it's going to be Spring soon and it'll be too hot to wear all that. We can at least get you in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt."

"Do I need to slap you again?" he asked me point blank. "We have more important issues at hand besides my choice in attire."

"So, now what, genius?" I wanted to know as he started dragging me behind him again.

"We get out of here, that's what!" he replied, making it sound like that was the dumbest question I could have ever asked. "We have to break into the security camera room and disenable them all, then make it to the teleportation room so we can get back to your place."

"But won't they just come back to my place too when they see you're gone?"

"We'll have to worry about that later," he insisted as we traversed the long corridor that I had gone down earlier.

"How did you get past the Sheriff the first time you escaped anyway?" I had to ask.

"I pretended to be violently ill and he opened up the cell to see what was wrong with me, then I made a break for it."

Oh. I guess I was thinking something more daring or even creative but I guess if you're stuck in an empty cell, you just do what you gotta do.

We reached the door that led out to the rest of the rehab center. Turbo peeked his head out first and looked around to make sure the coast was clear before we headed out. I must admit, I was a little freaked out at this but also the adrenaline rush I was experiencing was rather exciting. It's not everyday I do something this crazy out of my own free will.

"So where's the surveillance room?" I asked in a whisper as we crept along the wall, me following closely behind him.

"It's up this hall and down the next," he whispered back, still keeping his eyes ahead of him.

"This feels too easy," I worried out loud. "I would think there would be more security around a _prison_."

"Everyone's probably too busy doing a _session_ or something else equally lame around here to bother keeping an eye on the _one_ person that was in prison," he quipped back. "Why bother upping security for one prisoner?"

"Because you escaped once?"

He turned his head to glare at me. "Will you stop over-analyzing everything? Be grateful that we haven't been spotted yet!"

"THERE THEY ARE!"

We both heard a big booming voice and turned around to see Captain Razoul from _Aladdin_ pointing at us and then pull out his sword, he and his two men unanimously performing a battle cry as they ran towards us.

Oh snap.

* * *

_PS: PROUD OWNER OF A TURBO-TASTIC TEE SHIRT! If you like, go to the redbubble website and search for countspacula and look for the 8-bit sprite shirt._

_Also, do any of you guys have a tumblr? I thought about getting one but I dunno what I'd do with it. I can't draw worth a flip so I can't really share my own artwork on it. Also, make sure to vote on my poll that's on my profile for your favorite Wreck-It Ralph character if you haven't already!_


	17. Back to Square One

_Apple: A "Mary Sue" is the blandest lowest form of OC where they have zero personality traits besides wanting to hook up with a canon character in whatever fandom you're writing about and they have everything handed to them on a silver platter and never have to work for it, nor do they ever have problems or issues to tackle. The person that said that was saying it to be insulting.  
_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Have we ever discussed how fast Turbo runs? Maybe not. The second those Agrabah guards started chasing after us, Turbs jerked my hand so hard that I thought I was going to suffer from both whiplash and a shoulder dislocation. Maybe it's part of his character to be quick in general because he runs _fast_. I mean, I'm not in terrible shape or anything, I'm rather petite, but my legs were already starting to hurt and my lungs were burning from trying to keep up after the guy.

"Move your legs, I can't drag you the whole way!"

"Well, excuuuuse me, I wasn't exactly _programmed_ to have near supernatural speed!"

I had a feeling that he was annoyed at being hindered; I'm surprised he didn't just let me go and let me get caught, to be honest. I wasn't sure how long we kept up like this but those guards were certainly gaining on us. And I'll just say, if they weren't trying to capture/kill us, I would be a little more ecstatic about seeing Razoul and his men.

"Turbs," I was panting hard, my legs feeling like jelly now. "I can't keep up like this much longer."

"I'm _not_ carrying you."

"I didn't ask you to, I'm just sayin'..."

We rounded a corner, which allowed for a brief moment of slow-down time much to my relief. Next thing I knew, Turbo stopped dead in front of some door, opened it and dragged me in before shutting the door again, pitch black darkness enveloping the two of us. Well, with the exception of his eyes of course, which naturally glowed in there. I wasn't sure what the deal was with coming in here but I took advantage and plopped down on the floor, catching my breath and letting my legs relax. I heard running outside the door and Razoul bellowing about where we had run off to before I heard them continue on down the hall.

"You rested up yet?" Turbo asked me in an impatient voice, though I could tell by his eyes that he wasn't really that aggravated. He looked kinda tired himself, not that he'd admit it.

My throat was dry from panting so hard so I nodded at first, then remembered he couldn't see me in the dark, so I forced a raspy, "Yeah, I think so."

At that, Turbo cracked the door open and peeked out before sticking his head out to look around. He motioned for me to get up so I did and we exited the closet. I was a little confused when we headed back in the direction from whence we came from earlier.

"Why are we going back?"

He groaned in annoyance and turned his head towards me to pierce his eyes into mine. "Use some common sense, _blondie_," he replied smartly. "The only reason I went down this particular hall was to get the guards to go in the wrong direction."

"But there has to more guards than just those three," I pointed out, jutting my thumb behind in the direction Razoul and Co. went.

Turbo gave me a more infuriated look. "Will you quit saying stuff to jinx us?!" he fussed at me sharply. "Don't you know this place operates on cartoon logic?"

Needless to say, that's when I felt something poke me on the back...something sharp and pointy. I guess Turbo felt something too because we stopped at the same time and, almost like we rehearsed it, turned our heads around. Lo and behold, there was about half a deck of Card Guards belonging to the Queen of Hearts behind us, all pointing their spears at us menacingly. I gulped and looked over at my more than irritated racer buddy.

"You and your big mouth," was all he had to say.

I chuckled lightly and gave him a wide anxious grin. "My bad?"

* * *

For the second time in approximately a month's time, I found myself in handcuffs. I sat in a blank room behind a table and drummed my fingers along the table's surface out of boredom. Turbo sat beside me in a slouched position with his arms crossed the best he could with his own cuffs on. He wouldn't even look at me so I knew he was mad. I felt I needed to say something or else we were going to continue with this awkward silence.

"I already said I was sorry."

He _hmph'd_ softly. "_Sorry_ doesn't fix our predicament, _does it_?"

I sighed deeply. "Well, how was I supposed to know that this place operates crazy? I didn't know that by actually saying something that I would literally jinx us like that."

"Now you know," he grumbled, slumping down more in his seat. "Not that _you_ have anything to worry about. They can't keep you here because of the effect it would have on the Real World."

I frowned and stared at the door in front of us, feeling pretty crummy. Here I was in Disney World and I was spending it in some boring old room getting chided by my favorite character. If there was an award for the craziest day ever, I think this one would take the cake. And that's saying a lot given what all Turbo has put me through since he came to live with me. Finally, the door knob twisted and I perked up in my seat to see who it was.

Oh, great, of course it would be Mickey Mouse. He was still in his formal attire and he came up to us casting us both a disappointed look and putting his hands on his hips. Let's just say that getting that look from one of the most iconic fictional characters of all time is _not_ a good feeling. He glanced at Turbo, who didn't bother to look up, and then turned his attention to me.

"Mind explainin' yourself?"

I lowered my eyes at him. "Me? What about_ you_?" I pointed my fingers at him, the cuffs making a clanging sound as I moved my hands. "You lied to me and made me think that my friend here was lying instead! I expected better from you."

Mickey relaxed his arms down and shoved them in his pockets. "All right, ya got me. I lied about there being a prison here. It's not exactly something that we like to admit having but it's necessary to have it. I figured you'd help him escape somewhere where we could never find him if I hadn't convinced you it didn't exist."

I laid back against the chair, still glaring at him. "That's pretty low, using me to get to my bud. I also find it interesting why you even wanted him back if you were just going to immediately toss him in a cell again without giving him another chance to behave first."

Turbo was obviously bored with this and leaned over to rest his head against the table, his helmet making a little _thunk_ sound as it hit.

Mickey opened his mouth to respond, but I wasn't quite done yet. "You know, I don't want to hear any excuses. I understand that he's a handful, but he's not that bad when he gets focused on something he's interested in and has a little leeway. If you ask me, I personally think there are villains out there much worse than _he_ is. You got a freakin' python slithering around that ate a whole cast of characters! Why isn't _he_ locked in prison?"

"Who, Kaa?" Mickey asked for clarification, using a finger to scratch his ear. "That was the only time he went out of control. He's much better now, he just acts up every once in a while. He hasn't eaten anyone since that incident."

"Well, _Turbo_ hasn't gone around purposely causing mischief every five minutes since I've had him," I argued back. "Sure he's annoying, petty, spoiled, childish-"

"I'm sitting right here," Turbo inserted dryly, still having his head rested on the table.

"-and a little impish but that's no reason to lock him up in near solitary confinement." I crossed my arms, a difficult task while cuffed. "I also can't believe that someone like Wreck-It Ralph, whose very role in his movie is about proving that he's more than his label, would agree to locking him up either."

Mickey tugged at his collar. "Well gosh, ha, ya see, he doesn't exactly know," he admitted in a quiet voice.

Turbo picked his head up upon hearing that, his typical angry look plastered to his face. "You mean he and the others don't know I've been in prison either? They just all think I was lying too?"

Mickey held his hands up in defense. "Now, hang on, I can explain that. See, usually most of our worlds' main protagonists watch that dvd I showed you-", he pointed at me, "-in full. Of course we make a new one every year so they obviously didn't see the same exact copy. However, Ralph only had to watch the first five minutes before readily volunteering you to come here. In his defense, his intentions were good, thinking that we might be able to get you to a point to where you could go live back home."

I should've known Ralph was innocent in all of this. He's not a bad guy, you know.

Turbo scoffed and turned his head to the side away from both of us. "_Home_. I never had a home there," he responded in a low voice. "I wasn't even technically around long enough to consider it as such. I have no memories other than the ones that shaped me into my villain role and even _those_ are limited. The only good memories I have are being able to race."

I'd had a suspicion that he didn't have many memories of his pre-movie life, including that of _Sugar Rush_, and hearing him admit it made me feel sad inside. I couldn't imagine being as old as I am and only having a handful of recollections to base my life on. I wouldn't know what to make of myself. I coughed to make Mickey turn his attention back to me.

"Can we talk in private somewhere?" I rattled my cuffs at him. "And preferably without _these?"_

* * *

I sat across from Mickey's big black desk in one of his guest chairs while Turbs stayed in that interrogation room, being watched by Razoul. I didn't feel too comfortable leaving him with the Agrabah captain, since he has a reputation for...well, not getting along with prisoners. Anyway, in case you're curious, Mickey's office has lots of nostalgic pictures from his many roles and of his various friends and family. His desk had a framed photo of himself and Minnie at some Valentine's Day reception.

"Hey, are you two married or what?" I had to ask.

"Well sure we are," Mickey replied almost humorously as he sat in his own seat behind his desk. "Walt said it himself once way back in the day. We're just not married in the shows; she's considered my 'leading lady' in those cases."

Ahhhhh...

"So, uh, how'd you get to Disney World anyway?" Mickey questioned me in turn.

I rubbed my hands together in my lap and avoided his gaze, not really wanting to be a tattletale. "Um...let's just say I called the phone number on that dvd you left behind and a certain someone in charge of visitation got me here."

Mickey smacked his forehead. "Gosh, I knew I was forgetting something when I left your place." He stroked his chin to think. "But who would you have talked-" He rolled his eyes when he figured it out. "Ah geez, you talked to the Professor, didn't ya? That figures. I only hired him as a favor to Donald."

"_Anyway_," I began in hopes of redirecting the conversation to go where I wanted it to. "I wanted to bring up a suggestion about Turbo's future. One that doesn't require him being locked up in your miserable little prison, sitting there wasting away and not doing any good for himself or anybody else."

Mickey laced his fingers together and stretched his arms out onto his desk. "All right."

I took a breath in, hoping he'd go for it. "Well, since the whole point of being in this rehab is to better the lives of the villains, get them all socialized and help deal with their various issues, obviously prison isn't exactly the answer. Like I said earlier, Turbs does pretty decently if you give him room to play but give him some basic ground rules. For the most part, he listens but then again sometimes he doesn't. Anyway, what I'm suggesting is that I perhaps become some sort of official guardian to him."

The Mouse stared at me for a moment as if not believing that I just said that. Finally, he leaned back in his seat and said, "Gee, I dunno. You think you could handle it?"

I couldn't resist a smirk. "I handled it for four months, I think I can deal with it some more."

Mickey rubbed one of his ears while he thought. "Hmm. Well, I guess it _is _better to have him stay with someone responsible that keeps him in line rather than just keeping him locked up. I'll have to talk it over with Pete first."

I cocked a brow. "Pete? As in-" I couldn't think of his full name. "Well, _Pete_?"

"Yeah, I'm president of the board, Pete's vice-president, Scrooge McDuck is the financier, and-"

I held up a hand. "Okay okay, I don't really need to hear anymore, I wouldn't care anyway. Why the heck is Pete vice-president?"

"He's the oldest of all of us characters that are still shown in newer programs," he explained. "He's even older than Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Since he's typically an antagonist, he wouldn't be suitable for the leadership role, so it falls on me like always, what with being the face of Disney and all."

I...did not know all that. Dang, and I thought I was pretty knowledgeable in Disney lore. I wanted to ask why Oswald wasn't on the committee, then I reasoned for myself that if what transpired in the Epic Mickey games really happened, then he's already in charge of the Wasteland, where forgotten characters live.

Anyway, Mickey dialed some number on his speed dial and put it on speaker. After a few rings, I heard some deep grumbling and then,

_"What do ya want, Mouse?"_

Heeheehee, I nearly died hearing his voice. Even though I almost got eaten by Kaa and was handcuffed, this day just gets better and better what with all these Disney folks.

"Oh sorry there, Pete, were ya takin' a nap?"

_"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"_

Mickey's ears went flying back as the voice on the phone literally blew wind in his face. Haha, that's pretty funny. This place _does_ run on cartoon logic for the most part it seems. Mickey rubbed his ears and responded,

"Okay, okay. I needed to ask ya something."

Pete started mumbling under his breath about bothering him for stupid stuff then said, _"Well spit it out, I don't have all day!"_

"I just need to know if it's all right with you if we send Turbo from _Wreck-It Ralph_ into the Real World under supervision of a guardian."_  
_

Pete sighed in aggravation. _"Mickey...do you really think I care?"_

"No, but I still had to ask."

He said something about nincompoops under his breath before saying,_ "Well I say good riddance to bad rubbish! That little doofus pulled my pants down in front of everyone on his very first day here!"_

I had to stifle a laugh with a hand. Oh gosh, I can't even imagine!

Mickey looked like he was trying not to laugh too. "Gotcha, Pete, thanks."

The conversation ended and Mickey dialed another number. On that line I heard,

_"Hello, Fix-It Felix, Jr. here!"_

GASP! AHHHH he sounds so adorable on the phone!

"Haha, golly, Felix I meant to call Ralph."

_"Oh that's quite all right, Mickey. He's over here visiting for a spell. Hey, Ralph! Mickey's on the phone!"_

I was sad when Felix's voice went away. He's so gosh-darned cute!

_"Yell-o."_

Even though I already met him, it was still cool to hear Ralph's voice again.

"Hey there, Ralph, I wanted to talk something over with ya."

I heard him groan. _"Oh man, please tell me Turbo didn't start trouble already, did he?"_

"No, no," Mickey quickly assured him. "It's about...well...allowing him to go back in the Real World."

There was a pause then, _"Wait, WHAT? After all that trouble we went through to find him? No offense, but are you nuts?"_

"Thing is, the young lady he was living with offered to be his official guardian for us so that we won't have to do it."

_"Wait, wait, wait, back up. You're making no sense."_

I rolled my eyes and leaned over the desk to speak. "Mickey lied about prison, Turbo's coming back to live with me so he won't be in it."

_"What, you lied to me!" _He sounded pretty angry about that._ "I didn't send him there to get thrown in some dungeon, I sent him there to get actual help! Gah, and I just assumed the little jerk was lying!"_

Mickey appeared alarmed at the large man being angry and I could hear Felix in the background telling Ralph to calm down. I was seriously trying not to laugh, but for some reason I kept imagining him strangling the phone...and imagining poor little Felix trying to keep a big huge man from tearing his place apart in rage. Haha! Finally, after all the noises of struggle calmed down, Felix got back on the phone.

"_My apologies, Mickey,_" he said in his usual polite way. _"He said that was fine. I think he feels bad for not believing him. Ralph? Ralph! Gotta go, Mick, I think he's going to Tapper's. RALPH!"  
_

The phone hung up and I finally let myself laugh. I don't care if Mickey _was_ looking at me like I was crazy.

* * *

Turbo glanced back and forth between the two of us after I handed him the official contract with mine and Mickey's signatures on it. He then looked back down at the paper and grumbled to himself while he re-read the words.

"Let me get this straight," he started off, giving me a combination of a smirk and a scowl. "You're _adopting_ me?"

"I guess you could call it that," I replied, a little amused at the idea of him being my "child". "Get this, I even get to use you on my tax forms next year since you're now my dependent."

Money, money, money...

Turbo stared down at the paper again. "And all I have to do is sign this thing and I stay out of prison?"

Mickey intervened at this point. "Well, you still have to abide by the usual rules. And you have to check in back here once a month just like everyone else does that's on a normal probation."

Turbs waved a hand at him dismissively. "Pffffft, whatever, I can handle that so long as I don't have to _live_ here."

He grabbed the pen provided for him and scribbled his signature on the dotted line. Mickey retrieved it from him and tucked it into his pocket.

"Okay, let's get you two back home."

We exited the room, Turbo being escorted ahead of us by Razoul and once he was out of earshot, Mickey gave me a business card. "If he's any trouble, call me."

* * *

Getting teleported back to the Real World was a little trickier than it had been to get here. It involved being inside this crazy looking round elevator thing that was very compressed. It could only hold one person at a time, and since I was the one that was actually from the Real World, I went first. I worried for a moment that Mickey would go back on his word and not allow Turbs to follow behind me but I figured since he went through the trouble of making phone calls that he wouldn't do that.

Anyway, getting home felt more like a rush of heat spreading over me and then a bright light appearing. After a few seconds, I felt myself sitting down on something solid and realized that I was in the grassy area just a few yards from my door. Huh. Turbo hadn't arrived yet, so I figured I'd kill some time and go inside. I had just reached the door when I realized-

"Crap!" I yelled at the stupid locked door, kicking it childishly with the toe of my shoe.

I hadn't grabbed my keys when I got sucked into the telephone...don't say that everyday...and of course the door had been locked. So, great, we're locked out of my apartment. Zippity doo dah.

"Is the door that fascinating?"

I jumped at hearing Turbo's voice behind me and I spun around to face him. "I didn't even hear you!"

He gave me a smirk. "Some mother you are, not keeping an ear out for her own child."

"I am _not_ your mother," I insisted firmly. "And I'm standing here because we're locked out."

Turbs rolled his eyes at me as he threw me his duffel bag to hold while he dug around in his pockets. "I still have your spare, remember?" he informed me as he inserted said key into the lock and walked in like he owned the place.

I glared at his back and walked in, throwing his bag over the back of the couch so it would land on a mattress. First thing he did was look around my kitchen for some snacks. I got a weird feeling of deja vu, since this is pretty much how our first meeting went. Kitty hopped up on the counter to say hello to me then went over to try and get some loving from Turbo. I glanced at the clock in the kitchen to see how long it had been since I had left.

Only an hour? Really? Felt like longer than that. Guess I better call mom and tell not to bother coming over to babysit the cat now.

After he got done eating, Turbo went to take a hot shower since he'd been deprived of that since being at Disney World.

And yes, he still used up _all_ the hot water. _Sigh_. Oh well, good to have him back.

* * *

_Don't worry, guys, I'll be making more trips to Disney World in the future so I'll have more (and better) cameos then. Sorry it took longer than normal for this one to get up!  
_

_PS I have a tumblr now if anyone cares. missdixiedarlin . tumblr . com (without spaces) Expect random things on it lol.  
_


	18. Rise of the Guardian

_**Fun Fact!** If you watch the scene where "King Turbug" flies into the volcano frame-by-frame, you can see that his helmet also has a second red T on the back!_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I flipped on the light switch in the kitchen to allow it to cast some light into the living room without it being too bright in there. It was about nine in the morning but I was already up and ready to go somewhere. This is _very_ odd for me, by the way. Usually Turbo is up before I am and I held back a giggle at seeing him still sleeping like a baby, all sprawled out on his tummy with his blanket over his head. Hehe.

I wiggled my fingers in anticipation and pressed them into his ribs to tickle him awake. He jerked almost violently and-

"HEEEE!"

I quit what I was doing and nearly fell out laughing. Turbo threw the blanket off his head, his black hair all over the place, and shot me the death ray with his eyes. I was holding my stomach from laughing so hard and doubled over.

"You-you sound like a squeaky toy!" I was able to spit out, wiping my eyes with my hands.

His face turned red and he bared his teeth at me. "You better be glad I can't slap you anymore because I would certainly be doing it now."

"Oh lighten _up_," I chuckled, taking a seat at the end of the couch where his feet would be if he hadn't tucked them up away from me.

"What do you want?" he asked grouchily, rubbing his sides where he'd been tickled at.

I gave him a lop-sided grin. "Remember when you blackmailed me to take you chocolate shopping? Well, guess what?" I lowered eyes at him in a failed attempt to look dastardly. "It's payback time. _We _are going shopping today."

He stared at me for a few seconds with a flat look on his face before saying, "Pffft, yeah right. You? Shopping? Gimme a break. You _hate_ shopping."

With that, he rolled onto his side towards the back of the couch and tugged his blanket back over his head. I promptly gripped the corner of the cover and jerked it away from him, resulting in him snapping back up and gawking at me.

"Chick, seriously, I want to sleep!"

I can't help but smirk. "Now you know how_ I_ feel when you bother me at inconvenient hours, don't ya?"

He glared his yellow eyes at me. "What. Do. You. WANT?"

"I already told you. We're going shopping."

Turbs groaned and put his pillow in front of his face. "You're making me regret the decision to come back here."

I shrugged my shoulders and examined my freshly filed nails. "Okay, guess I'll call Mickey and tell him to save you a room in _prison_."

_That_ got his attention. He dug his fingers into the pillow and reluctantly removed it from his face before chunking it at me and forcing himself up off the couch. Ha! The idea that I have something to threaten him with for when he gets unruly is...well, to borrow a phrase, _turbo-tastic_.

* * *

"Oh no you don't!" I chided as I grabbed Turbs by the slack in his suit, pulling him back on the sidewalk. "We're going _my_ car."

He didn't look very amused. "I thought you hated chauffeuring me around."

"I do," I shot back, making that very clear. "But if I let _you_ drive, then we'll never get to do what I wanna do. Not to mention that you don't know where any good stores are."

He sighed and ran a hand down his face but he got in on the passenger side like I had expected him to. I got in and cranked up before heading out of our parking lot.

"And just what, pray tell, kind of shopping are you forcing me to endure_?"_

"Clothes shopping," I answered him, allowing for a slight pause before adding, "for _you_."

He slumped in his seat, staring boredly out the windshield. "I thought we already discussed that I like my suit."

"Yes, and I said it was going to be warming up outside soon so you need something more comfortable." I threw a cheeky grin at him. "Besides, what kind of _mother_ lets her _child_ run around wearing the same thing all the time?"

I have to say, the notion of adopting a mother hen role is far more amusing to me than being mistaken his girlfriend. Not that it would be the worst thing in the world, mind you, it's just that it isn't true. You know how it is.

Turbo gave me a rather nasty sneer and huffed, turning his attention to the side window and not saying anymore for the time being.

* * *

"No."

I was determined to stay in a good mood today while I extracted my revenge on Turbo for every insane thing ever done to me. Even though he was peering at me with murderous eyes, I kept the smile on my face intact while I shoved a handful of clothes I found that I figured might fit him.

"Yes," I corrected him as I started shoving him to the nearest empty dressing room. "Be a good boy and try all those on and we _might_ go get chocolate milkshakes later."

"You're gonna have to do better than a chocolate shake, sister," he growled at me as he pushed back against me, preventing his entrance into the little dressing area.

"Fine, we'll just skip the shakes and go straight to prison."

He groaned loudly at the light threat but he stopped pushing back against me anyway. I took the opportunity to swipe his helmet while his hands were full, much to his protest.

"Remind me to get some hair gel," I smiled, messing his hair up on purpose.

I heard a little growl from him before he said, "Woman, you're gonna regret this day."

"Nope, don't think so," I grinned at him before he slammed the door in my face. "And you have to come out and let me see each outfit so I'll know you actually tried them on."

I wish I could've seen his face but judging from the excessive grumbling I heard, I could easily imagine it. But I wasn't going to let his sour attitude damper my day, no-siree! I sat on the bench provided in front of the room and awaited him to come out wearing outfit number one. Don't worry, I didn't get him anything embarrassing. I _almost_ grabbed something in "salmon" but I didn't want to push it. Hehe.

"Dude, hurry up!" I called to him after about five minutes. A smirk played at my lips and I added, "Does the king require assistance?"

"You come in here and you're _dead_."

"Ha, yeah, like you would actually hurt me and risk your precious freedom. Now get your butt out here already!"

After I heard a bit more grumbling, Turbs _finally_ came out. He didn't look very happy about it, what with his shoulders slouched forward and glaring at me, but I don't see what his problem was. Like I mentioned earlier, I didn't grab him anything that would be embarrassing to wear; in fact, it'd be stuff that one would think he would wear anyway. Right now, he was garbed in a simple red tee with white track pants with red stripes running down the sides.

"Why do you look so mad, I thought you'd like red?" I had to ask upon viewing the evil look he was giving me. "It's not that much different than what you already wear, just looser. It should feel more comfortable."

"I look like an idiot."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "No you don't, you look more_ human_ to be honest. It looks nice."

If I didn't know better, I'd say he looked surprised. Heck, maybe he was. "Really?"

"Would I lie?" I joked lightly before adding, "Yes, _really_. I'm not making you play dress-up so I can have a laugh."

I jutted my pointer finger back towards the dressing room. "Now, go try some jeans on."

So after his highness got it in his head that he looked decent (or rather _better_ if you ask me) wearing normal clothes, shopping with him was so much easier. I mostly grabbed him a pile of tee shirts (the majority being red, white or black), a few track pants, and jeans since I highly doubted he would wear anything close to "casual dressy". Besides, I didn't want to push the issue. It didn't take as long as I thought it would, thank goodness, but we still had a full day ahead and I wasn't quite done with him yet.

* * *

"That stuff looks sticky," Turbo muttered as I had him plopped in front of my bathroom mirror, sitting in one of the tall kitchen chairs.

I was rubbing a bit of hair gel between my palms. "It's not when it dries," I assured him, getting behind him like what the hair stylists do at the salon so they can see what they're doing in the mirror while they do it. "Trust me, lots of guys do this so just take a chill pill. Even my brother does it sometimes."

He cringed and shut his eyes when I ran my gel-covered fingers through his hair, trying to get it in a controlled messy look. It's not long or in need of a cut or anything, but it needs _something_ to control the helmet head. It could probably use some thinning at the top since that's where it was thickest but, overall, it doesn't look bad. Actually, I'm pretty impressed with myself for making it look like this model's picture in a hair magazine I flipped through.

"You can open your eyes now," I informed him as I grabbed a hand towel to wipe extra gunk off my fingers.

I think he might've been too scared to see himself because he only barely cracked one eye open at first. Admittedly, I was afraid he'd go postal on me if he didn't like it. I already pushed more of his buttons than I usually do but thankfully he hasn't gone off on me yet for anything. I mentally prepared myself to bolt for the front door but surprisingly, he actually leaned back in the seat and cocked his reflection a grin.

"Hey, I don't look too shabby," he commented vainly, checking himself out. "Not that I didn't look good to begin with."

Phew. I'm glad he likes it and at the same time I couldn't resist an eyeroll in response to his smugness.

* * *

"Close your eyes and hold your hands out."

Turbo groaned as he sat on the couch playing one of his games, his promised chocolate milkshake situated between his legs for convenience. "Blondie, I think I've had enough surprises today, don't you think?"

"One can never have too many surprises."

He groaned but he paused his game regardless and did what I said. "You better not be wanting to paint my nails or something equally girly."

"Don't be so paranoid," I told him while placing something in his hands.

He opened them right after feeling it and his eyes got big. "You're giving me a cell phone?"

"I should've got you one a long time ago, but never got around to it," I admitted as he examined his new toy. "However, now that I'm officially responsible for you, I figured I better keep track of you."

He looked disappointed after a few minutes of phone inspection. "Hey, this isn't one of the cool ones where I can play games on it. Or go online. Or have that little smart-aleck lady talk back to me."

Haha, he means Siri from the later iPhone versions. He had seen a few YouTube videos of people having crazy conversations with her and he thought it'd be fun.

"Yeah, sorry, you're gonna be cheap like me and be happy with a pre-paid cheap-o," I said in a happy voice to not make it sound so bad. "I already put some numbers in there for you. I even have a ringtone on _my_ phone for when you call me."

He rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm too scared to know what it is."

"The chorus from Carly Simon's _You're So Vain_."

I received a withering glare as a response. "Yeah? Well, yours is gonna be Cruella DeVille's theme."

"Go ahead," I grinned at him with a small shrug. "You're going to think I'm cruel anyway once I start making you do homework."

The look on his face was priceless. I wish I'd had a camera ready. His eyes got big and his jaw dropped, genuine shock evident in his features.

"_HOMEWORK?"_

* * *

_Also, thanks to everyone that voted on my poll for your favorite WiR character! Out of 56 votes Vanellope and King Candy tied for first place with 18 votes, Ralph had 10, Calhoun had 6, Felix had 2, and "Other" had 2. There's a new poll now for who your favorite Sugar Rush racer is (I omitted Vanellope in this one so she wouldn't hog all the votes)._


	19. In Which Turbo Has Homework

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"Yep, homework," I repeated myself with an enthusiastic grin. "But it'll be _fun_ homework!"

Turbo slouched back against the couch and sipped at his chocolate shake, looking so deep in thought that it was all I could do to keep from laughing at him. He's the only person I know that can look so P.O.'d while indulging in one of his favorite desserts. He finally ceased this activity and slowly turned his head to pierce his eyes into mine.

"I don't trust your cheerful tone," he notified me in a low voice. "People that talk like that have something up their sleeves."

"Oh you mean like when you were mathquerading ath King Candy?" I purposely mocked his bubbly "royal" voice. "Hard to believe _you_ had the ability to be so cheery and upbeat all the time."

I ignored the daggering glare I received and switched all my electronic devices over to where it would play my dvd player instead of my Wii. I dug around in my dvd collection for a while and heard the unmistakable huff of impatience from behind me.

"What kind of homework _is_ this?" Turbo asked me in an exhausted tone.

I continued my hunt for the movie I wanted. I suppose I should arrange these things in a more orderly manner so I can find stuff quickly. It would come in handy for this homework business, that's for sure.

"_We_ are going to sit down and watch a Disney movie," I responded to him. "Then _you_ are going to write a nice little report about all the various themes and character traits and what not. You have exactly one week to do this so that should be plenty of time."

"Why do I need to watch Disney movies? _My_ movie is the greatest movie ever because it has _me_ in it. I don't _need_ to watch anymore," he related to me somewhat haughtily before relaxing and sipping some more milkshake. "Besides I know everything I need to know about other Disney stuff.."

I turned my head and cocked a dubious brow at him. "Oh really? What's Donald's girlfriend's name?"

He stared at me blankly. "Who's Donald?"

I was only being sarcastic when I had asked the question, not ever dreaming that he really didn't know the answer to such a simple question. At first I thought he was joking but since he appeared to be awaiting my answer, I assume that he was truly ignorant in basic Disney trivia.

"Are you serious? Donald _Duck_?"

He continued staring at me stupidly. Sigh. Good grief!

"He's one of Mickey's friends," I enlightened him, turning my attention back to my movie collection.

"Unless they showed up in the rehab center, I don't know 'em," Turbs explained to me just as I found the movie I wanted.

I cracked the dvd case open to remove the disc and then tossed him the aforementioned case so he could see what movie it was. He caught and glared at it as I finished putting it in the player and plopped on the couch beside him.

"This is a princess movie," he growled, tossing the case back at me.

"It's got more men than women in it,_" _I argued as I went through the dvd menu and selected "play". "Plus, this was the very first full-length animated movie ever made, so show some respect."

He gave me one last glare before turning his attention away from me, slouching down in the couch more with his arms crossed and slurping on the remains of his milkshake.

The movie? _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. _

* * *

You can tell if Turbo does or does not like a movie. If he likes it, he stays quiet. If he doesn't, he gives commentary...kinda like he's doing now.

Him: "I can't decide if she sounds like a dying songbird or a hyperactive mouse."

Me: "Be quiet!"

Him: "If I ever meet that mirror, I'm gonna ask him who the greatest racer of all is."

Me: (being sarcastic) "Gee, I figured you already knew the answer to that."

Him: "I do, I just want to make sure he's got his facts right."

Me: "Will you hush and watch the movie?!"

Him: "And why didn't the Queen just do her own dirty work instead of hiring that dummy? Lazy, lazy, lazy."

Me: "If she'd done _that,_ then we wouldn't have a movie to watch. Snow would be dead."

Him: "You're saying it's a bad thing to not have this movie to watch?"

LATER

Him:"Wait, why do the trees all have scary faces and hands? What kind of messed up place is this?"

Me: "This was common in cartoons back then to have anthropomorphized trees, the sun, the moon, etc. Plus, I think her fear is making her mildly hallucinate; they're not really attacking her."

Him: (upon Snow getting to the cottage) "Oh right, go break into someone's house and make yourself at home."

I turned my head slowly when he said that one and just stared at him. He must've felt my eyes on him and he shrugged his shoulders up.

"What? You opened the door for me, I didn't break in when we met."

Turbs annoyingly slurped the remains of his milkshake, making that nerve-grating noise that one makes when the cup is close to being empty yet there's still a few drops at the bottom. I cringed upon hearing it and then he shoved his empty container at me before kicking his legs up on the ottoman, crossing them at the feet and throwing his hands behind his head.

"Go grab me a soda while your tossin' that," he instructed me without taking his eyes off the movie, which had begun to play the "Heigh-Ho" song.

I glared at him and paused the movie for a second. "Do it yourself, you're not a baby."

He very slightly smirked at me. "If I get up now, what little attention span I have in regards for this movie will be forever shattered. You want me to do my "homework" right, don't you?"

I kept my eyes lowered at him while he flashed me his trademark grin.

"Heigh ho, off to the fridge you go," he sang lightly to me, using one of his hands to wave me off and the other one to turn the movie back on.

I reasoned that since I'd been forcing him into doing non-Turbo activities all day, the least I could do was get him a stupid soda. Anyway, long story short, we both somehow survived the movie...or rather _he_ survived watching the movie and_ I_ survived watching it _with him_. The only reason I watched it was to make sure he did it.

"Well, what'd ya think?" I asked once the movie was over.

Turbo was still relaxed back on the couch with his feet propped up in front of him. "The witch making the poisoned apples was the only good part."

I rolled my eyes. "You better have more to say when you do that essay."

He growled under his breath and crumpled his empty soda can in his hand. "Fine, you want a full essay? I'll give it to you right now. Give me a pencil and paper."

"You're going to do it _now_? You don't want time to reflect on it?"

"I don't have time for that," he argued, throwing his crushed can at me. "Come on, blondie, speed it up!"

* * *

I had thought he was just going to write a few simple sentences about how much the movie sucked. You know, something that would only take two minutes for him to scribble out. Instead, he was situated at the breakfast bar deep in thought, even pausing for a few seconds before writing something else. I was sitting backwards on the couch with my arms folded across the top of it and my head resting on them, waiting for him to get done.

Turbo's back was to me while he wrote and I sat up and leaned over the back of the couch to see if I could sneak a peek over his shoulder. I guess he sensed my presence because he turned his head to glare at me and threw his hands over his paper.

"No peeking!" he snapped, waiting for me to lean back away from him before he continued, this time hovering over his paper as if to guard it.

You're probably wondering why I'm making him do this seemingly meaningless assignment. Well, he doesn't know anything about his own world due to be locked up at the beginning of his post-movie life. Not to mention, I had gotten the strong hint that he didn't have any respect for other characters, what with him trolling and pranking everyone. Not that there's anything wrong with pranks, but that's what got him in trouble in the first place. Doing these little movie essay things is my way of forcing him to get to know his own universe without having to be in it. Hopefully, it worked.

"Done," Turbs announced without much emotion, turning in his seat to hand me the notebook I'd given him to write in.

"Took long enough," I responded as he got up and headed for the door. "And where are _you_ going?"

"For a drive," he answered me as if it was obvious...which I guess it was. What else he would go do?

He exited the building and I just smiled and shook my head at him before turning around correctly on the couch and read what he had to say about Snow White. Don't tell him, but I'm going to share it with you. Hehe.

_How Turbo (that's me) Felt About Snow White's Movie-Verse_

_So I had to sit down and watch this sappy-happy musical thing. If I lived in this movie, I'd be bored out of my turbo-tastic mind. Nothing remotely interesting happens except for the Queen baking poisoned goodies. Why she didn't just stab the girl in the first place, I don't know._

_I was reluctantly forced to watch this naive princess start out in this film being a slave to her step-mom Queen What's-Her-Face. I guess since Snow is supposed to the nicest person ever, she didn't even complain about this work. How realistic is THAT? So anyway she ends up meeting this Prince No-Name who's just as bland and nice as she is and they do that cliché "love at first sight" bull-hockey. For whatever reason, the Queen is jealous because this dummy isn't paying HER any attention. Well, gee, maybe she should have made her appearance known, then maybe he would've...I dunno...SEEN you at least._

_Stupid women. Why do you guys always make things so difficult?!_

_So she gets mad when she asks her Magic Mirror guy who the fairest in the land is and he says it's not her, it's Snow White. Women ought to know never to ask a guy's opinion on things, but I digress. To solve her "dilemma", she gets this hunter dude to go kill Snow White so she won't have any competition. Why kill her? Why not just give her a few scars on her face to make her physically ugly?_

_Or maybe the Mirror meant who is the fairest on the "inside". In that case, Queenie's got no chance of winning THAT contest. Oh and why does she need to ask around if she's good-looking or not? Doesn't she have any self-esteem? I mean, is she blind or something? Sure she's kinda scary but she's not bad to look at._

_You know, this jealousy thing sounds familiar, but I wasn't assigned to write about myself, was I, blondie? Don't pretend that you didn't see the resemblance. You made me watch this on purpose. You want me to see that I'm just like the Queen in my petty jealousy towards RoadBlasters' better graphics, which I guess equates to beauty, huh? And that I should've been satisfied with how I felt about myself instead of depending on how others' thought of me, right?_

_Back to this movie, so the Hunter is a pansy and can't kill the helpless girl. Well, no kidding, he's some old geezer staring at this cute young thing. Of COURSE he's not going to kill her. Unless he's one of those weird pervert serial killers, but since we have little to no character development in this film we don't get a backstory on this dude. Actually, NO ONE gets a backstory in this movie. Maybe I should be grateful that I have one even if it isn't that much._

_Snow White freaks out because the Queen wants her dead so she does the only logical thing she can think of and runs away. She has a panic attack of sorts and collapses only to wake up surrounded by wild animals that, in the real world, would either avoid her or want to eat her. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen. Instead, they are all semi-domesticated and lead her to this mysterious cottage in the middle of the woods where she breaks in and takes over._

_Finally we meet all the dwarfs, who mine for diamonds for some reason. What do they do with them? Judging by their shack-cottage, they don't sell them. At least the ones in the Lord of the Rings series decorated the joint with the stuff they found. And these guys have the weirdest names...if you can call a personality trait a NAME. Gee, this one's named Happy. Guess how he acts all the time?_

_So Snow White mans up and commandeers the place and orders everyone around. Typical woman. (Yeah, I'm talking to you, blondie.) Instead of giving them all amnesia like I had to do when I took over a group of people, these morons just say "OKAY!" and run with it. They just let this stranger take over their lives like it was normal. At least in my case, they all thought I was their real ruler so it made sense for them to follow me. The only normal person in this movie is Grumpy, who sees Snow White for the slave driver she is. I guess she's venting her frustrations due to being a slave for her Queen for so long._

_After the domesticating of the dwarfs, the Queen finds out that she was lied to by the Hunter, who had killed a pig and cut its heart out instead of Snow White's. Why she took so long asking the mirror about this stuff is beyond me. I'd have asked right away. Actually, where did this mirror come from? Some fairy-tale garage sale?_

_Finally, the Queen grows a pair and goes to do the job herself like she should have done in the first place. Funny thing is, she makes herself UGLY, which is the opposite of what she wants to be perceived as, but at the same time that's how she is on the "inside". Look, chick, I've got gray skin and yellow eyes, you don't have anything to be complaining about. Why are you women so shallow? It's the inside that counts. Not that it helps HER case any because she's evil._

_Anyway, after the dwarfs leave her alone, Snow White ignores her intelligent animal friends' warning and takes this creepy old lady in. I guess it's true that animals have a sixth sense. I must not be that bad because Kitty likes me. So Snow White feels bad for the old lady and breaks the "don't take candy from strangers" clause and eats the freakin' apple because "it's a wishing apple". How dumb can you be? She actually believed that? Queen Witch wins and runs out into the storm where now the dwarfs are hunting her down for killing Snow. Why didn't the Queen take a spell-reverser potion with her so she could be in her normal form while she ran away? That's what I would've done._

_She stupidly gets herself chased on a cliff and falls to her death. Wow, how dramatic. Not near as dramatic as a volcano, but it got the job done. Long story short, the dwarfs bury her in a glass coffin so their pervert old men natures could be satisfied and stare at the only woman they've ever met and that gets ruined when lo and behold Prince Generic shows up and willingly kisses what he thinks is a dead body. Now I know that the true love kiss is the spell breaker, but HE didn't know that. If he'd known it, then it would make sense for him to kiss her, but yeah this dweeb just up and kissed a dead chick without knowing that she'd wake up from it. Gross. Then they live happily ever after and she says good-bye to the dwarfs and she never sees them again even after they tolerated her matronly ways, the end._

_Oh and the only character development we got was Grumpy not being so grumpy anymore and joining his...brothers? Co-workers? Fellow members of the local poker club?...whatever they are to each other, and being happy that Snow's alive. Anyway. This is a generic cut-and-dry fairy tale movie. Nothing too great. It looked nice for an old movie anyway. I guess I can't hate it too much since it was Walt's first full-length movie, and I'm not stupid enough to anger him to a point where he'll come down here and curse me._

_This better be good enough for you, blondie. By the time you read this, I'll be racing around in MY parking lot._

* * *

Dang, that was alot to read. So, you guys think this is good enough of a homework essay to let him pass?


	20. Partners in Insomnia

_I decided to give Turbo a "B" for his essay, since that was the average grade I got from configuring everyone's grades you all gave him. Also, that's not the only time he's gonna have to do "homework" *evil laugh*. Yeah, I'm gonna assign him essays to do at random times plus we're going on field trips once a month to Disney World as part of the probation thing, so we're getting lots of Disney out of this._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Sometimes I lay in my bed and stare up at my ceiling, unable to sleep. Why? Oh, all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it's a bad dream or something I ate. Maybe I wasn't tired enough before I laid down. Maybe something woke me up, like a loud noise, and I couldn't go back to sleep. Tonight, however, I had things on my mind I couldn't purge from my conscious being so I could relax.

What kinds of things? Silly stuff, I guess. Like how I wish my life was like other people's. You know, those people that have more than maybe five friends. Those people who get hundreds of replies to things they post on Facebook. Sometimes I wonder if people have me set to "invisible" on there. I'm lucky to get one person to "like" or comment on something. At times I wish I lived in a nicer place, a _house_, instead of this one-bedroom apartment that's less than 700 square feet. I wish my mom wouldn't criticize me so much and be more like my dad, who thinks I can do no wrong. Maybe he just says that because daddies are supposed to say that to their little girls, but I wish mothers did the same.

I wish I had a different life sometimes. I never thought that at my age, a few years shy of 30, I'd still be single and living like I do. I don't even like my job. Everyone else seems to like theirs. I don't know what would make me happy though. I think I'm pretty pathetic actually. I get my feelings hurt too much, I take things too personally, I wish my skin would tan in the summer inside of burning to a crisp, I'd rather live in the mountains away from people than here in this stinkin' city. Just all kinds of things like that keep me awake sometimes and it's times like these that I feel pretty crappy.

So here I am laying here and staring at my ceiling, covered in blankets and alone in the dark, and all these things run in my head all at the same time. Before you know it, it gets to be too much to handle and I might cry a little bit before curling up on my side and covering my face with my blanket because it's embarrassing to cry about yourself. I'm kind of a big baby and I really don't like people to know that. I'm one of those people that other people like to pick on because I'm honestly very sensitive about things. I try not to show it and act like a big girl that can take care of herself, but a lot of days like today I'm just...tired. I'm just tired of being myself and not being myself at the same time.

Right now it's pouring down rain outside and it's only thundering a little bit. Nothing too heavy. Normally I can sleep like a rock in this type of weather but since I'm having a bad day, it's only furthering depressing me. Kitty had taken to going under my bed like she usually does in this weather so at least one of us getting some sleep. After a while, I heard the rain get so loud that it almost sounded like a waterfall roaring out there. I just curl up some more under my blankets and try to keep myself from crying too much, because I'm telling myself to stop acting like a baby.

Big crash of thunder sounded all of a sudden, so much so that I felt the vibrations in my bed. I sighed to myself when it was over and that's when I heard the hinges creak on my door. Normally I don't hear it but since I'm wide awake, I can hear it just fine. I keep myself perfectly still, pretending to be asleep I suppose and keep my face hidden under my blanket. After a few seconds I felt Turbo poke me in the shoulder. Instead of turning to him like I normally do when he does this, I just stayed turned over. He's seen me cry before and I don't really intend to let him do it again. That had been embarrassing.

I was about to ask him what he wanted but then another boom of thunder sounded. I quickly dried my eyes on my blanket before turning my head back in Turbo's direction and his eyes glowed at me the same way they had the first time he'd gotten scared of thunder. He'd thought he was going to die because of a power outage, since that's one way to die as an arcade character apparently. I guess thunder is a precursor to an outage so that's what scares him, not necessarily the thunder itself.

Instead of saying anything, I just heaved a sigh and scooted over even though I wasn't really in the mood for company right now. I put my head back on my two stacked pillows to stare into the darkness of my room and felt him climb in. At least I didn't have to share a pillow this time since I'd kept my word about buying him the fluffiest pillows I could find for him.

Another boom of thunder later, I felt him kinda inch over to me a little closer but not enough to touch. I could feel some of my blanket getting pulled off of me a bit like he was covering himself up more. I guess that's one thing we have in common: we're both big babies that don't like to show it. I sighed a little and removed one of my pillows from under my head and turned around to face him before putting it in between us, then snuggling up against it to get comfortable.

I heard a small crack of thunder and I peeked my eyes open to see if Turbo was still wide-eyed and freaked out or not. He looked a little more calm since he wasn't by himself, his eyes just barely open but still glancing around the room as if he could really see things in the dark. Finally he relaxed and curled up on his side towards me, closing his eyes to try to rest.

I think I mentioned one time that it's nice to feel needed. Well, it still is. Even though I'm sure I annoy him as much as he does me, I think in some bizarre way we kinda need each other. He'd literally be alone and forgotten about if not for me taking him in and keeping him out of solitary confinement; I'd probably still be sitting around bored to death feeling more useless than I already do if not for him constantly pestering me to go do something or force me to take charge, something I normally never did before.

The rain died down to a trickle and the thunder didn't come as often as it was, barely making an audible clap in the distance. I could tell Turbs was asleep because of how he was breathing. Kitty finally came out from under the bed and hopped up with us, curling herself in between to sleep on top of the pillow I had there.

You know, I may not matter to a lot of people but I guess as long as one person (and a cat) thinks I'm worth bothering, I must not be as bad off as I think I am. I yawned and curled up more in a ball before drifting off to sleep myself, not waking up 'til morning.

* * *

_Sorry if that was a dull to read, but I was in one of my sad moods and needed to get it out somehow._


	21. Taking the Leap

_Thanks guys, yes I feel a lot better than I did the other day. Unfortunately, that happens a good bit, where I get to thinking things like that. I'm glad I have a lot of "turbo-tastic" pals on here to make me feel somewhat wanted, so thanks :) _

_And sorry this one's super short._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Turbo was giving me this look like he was tired of waiting on me. Actually, I'm pretty sure he _was, _seeing as how I was taking my time on purpose.

"What is your deal?" he asked me irritably, crossing his arms now.

I gulped as I shifted my eyes to the side, the wind blowing my hair about. "This isn't exactly within my comfort zone, you know."

"The sooner we get it over with, the better, don't ya think?"

He had a point but still..._gulp_. I mentally gave myself a shake to help rid myself of my nerves. I _seriously_ cannot believe I'm about to do this.

"Okay," I sighed, telling myself it'd be over soon. "Let's do this."

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Finally!"

When he leaned forward, I freaked out again. "Wait, wait, wait!"

He stopped and leaned back again, annoyance written all over his face. "_Now_ what?!"

"I...I need some...some chapstick!" I came up with, digging in my pocket for the little tube I had in there, since it _was_ windy outside and I knew I'd need some. Be prepared!

Turbs rubbed his face while I applied a layer of chapstick on. "Why do I get the feeling that you're stalling?"

"I'm sorry, did you _want_ my lips to be chapped?"

Someone behind me yelled, "Just do it already!"

I turned around and gave them a death glare. "Don't rush me!"

I span myself back around towards the Turbs who had begun tapping his foot while he waited on me.

"I hate you for this," I muttered at him with a lowered brow.

He shrugged. "It's called taking a leap, blondie. You want to be a famous writer someday, ya gotta experience life."

I shifted my eyes to the side again. "I don't care to experience _this_. Especially in front of witnesses."

"You're making it sound worse than it is. It's not a big deal."

"It is to _me_."

He rolled his eyes at me.

"Can't we...like, hold hands or something?" I asked childishly. I'll admit, it would help me not be so freaked out over...doing this.

"_NO."_

Crap.

"Can we _please_ just do this?" he was practically begging me, his voice full of aggravated impatience.

I sighed deeply and stared downwards.

"Don't look down!" Turbo snapped at me.

UGH. I lifted my head back up and braced myself, telling myself at least it'd be over quickly. I gulped again, preparing myself mentally before finally leaning forward and-

AHHH, GOD HELP ME, I'M GONNA DIE!

-went flying off the side of the bridge, the only thing attached to me being this cursed bungee cord. I had my hands over my eyes and the loudest scream I could muster tore out of my throat. The air made a whistling noise as I fell and I stole a peek through my fingers only to see the ground getting closer to me. My stomach retched and I shut my eyes again, too terrified to really pay attention to the daredevil I live with laughing his head off as if this was the most fun he'd ever had.

At last, I felt the the rope attached to me hit its limit and I felt some pressure on my chest as it kept me from hitting the ground. Then I felt myself bounce back up a bit and then just hang there with my legs kicking at air, wishing desperately to be back on solid ground. I'm still trying to scream though my throat's raw from the first one I made so it sounds like a raspy squeak instead.

Turbs of course thought this was insanely fun, still laughing about this traumatizing ordeal. "There! Was that so bad?!"

I refused to look at anything, not wanting to look down at the ground. "I think I'm gonna puke."

"Please don't."

I felt whoever was at the top of the bridge pulling me back up to the top so that I could get released from this darn harness. All I wanted to do was lay down on something solid.

"Next time I ask you what you want to do for the day, pick something that won't potentially give me a heart attack!"

"So I guess going up north to try that white water river rafting stuff is out of the question?"

"YES."


	22. The Friend War

_Thanks everyone, this is now officially my most reviewed fic and after the reviews for this chapter come in, my very first to receive 200 reviews! Everyone gets chocolate (or whatever candy you want) as a reward for being turbo-tastic! _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"Turbs, I'm going out for a while!" I called to my ward who was currently in the bathroom taking one of his infamous long showers.

I reached my hand out to rub Kitty on her head while she laid lazily on top of the couch as I headed for the front door. I was just about to go out when I heard,

"WAIT!"

I turned, my eyes wide at being unexpectedly interrupted. Turbo had shut the shower off and had thrown his houserobe on, peeking at me from the bathroom door with water dripping off his head, his black hair plastered to his skull.

"Where are you going?"

I heaved an aggravated sigh, keeping my hand on the door knob. "I said I was going out, it's none of your business."

He looked kind of hurt by that comment. "But...what if I need something?"

You have got to be kidding me!

"Turbs," I addressed him firmly. "It's called a cell phone. If you need something, just call me."

I didn't give him a chance to add more to the conversation, which of course was just his way of stalling me from leaving, and simply walked out the door.

* * *

Sometimes you just need a break from the norm. My best friend from the opposite side of the state had driven up to hang out while her sister, who happens to live somewhere around here, goes through the joys of labor pains having her baby. Bestie is a little shorter than me, so thin that people think she's a boy at first and keeps her dark brown-black hair up in a tail. She's not girly at all, she prefers tank tops and baseball caps to the cute dressy tops and hair barrettes like I would wear.

We were having fun catching up, eating up our breakfast at IHOP. I like the chocolate chip pancakes with some bacon and sunny-side up eggs. It's nice to go out with a friend, I don't ever get a chance to do that. Not that Turbo isn't a friend, mind you, but he's not a girl either and that's just different some how.

"Hey, you haven't seen my ex again since that last time, have you?" I felt the need to ask as I put my change up from paying the waiter.

Bestie didn't seem to know how to answer, which worried me. "Well...I did once. He was with his wife this time, seeing the same movie I was going to see with another friend. He kept looking at me, which you know creeps me the heck out."

If anyone hates Crazy Cop more than me, it's probably Bestie. Not going to go in detail, but he's threatened her in various ways over various things more than once, so much to the point that she was too scared to even tell me about it. Of course it wasn't until after I dumped him that she finally had the guts to tell me, and to be honest it kinda irked me that she didn't tell me or else I would've dumped him a long time ago and saved myself some drama. But oh well, I didn't hold it against her.

"Did he talk to you?" I asked as we left the restaurant, heading down the street to the little strip mall that was there.

I'd rather have gone to the Boardwalk where all the really cool stores are at, plus a carousel, better restaurants, a trolley to ride around if you get tired, etc. But that was on the far side of the city and my friend had wanted to be closer to this side for when her family called her about the baby.

"His wife went to the restroom while we were leaving the show," Bestie replied to me, keeping her head as we walked. "We didn't have to so we were going to leave but I heard him call my name out. I didn't give him a chance to talk though since I shoved my friend out the door and out in the parking lot."

"Ugh, well that was a relief."

She gave me one of her trademark smart-aleck grins. "Say, why don't you just date-"

It was then that I heard Carly Simon singing from my purse and I groaned out loud. Seriously? I've only been gone an hour and Turbs already needs something?!

Actually, no, I'm glad the phone rang because I just _knew_ what the rest of her question was going to be and I know that she knows that the answer is "no". She very much so likes to irritate me with that.

Bestie had a smirk on her face. "Is that your 'roommate'?"

"Please, if he were my roommate, he'd been paying his half of the rent," I replied to her as I let the phone keep ringing. "I wonder if I should bother answering it."

Bestie held her hand out. "Here, lemme see it."

I gave her a wary look; she's known to be rather sneaky, but I handed it to her anyway. She put the phone up to her ear after pressing the "talk" button and said,

"Hello, you lookin' for your mommy?"

I slapped myself on the forehead. Great, he's gonna be mad as heck.

_"WHO IS THIS?!"_

Dang, I could hear him from a few steps away, he screamed it so loud. My friend had to hold the phone from her ear, a pained look on her face.

"I'm the best friend," she replied once she shook her head to clear her ears.

I didn't hear anything from the other side after that and Bestie was trying hard not to laugh. I mouthed "what is he saying?" and she mouthed back "nothing". Oh brother.

"By the way," Bestie continued, always one to push someone's buttons until they busted. "Out of curiosity, do you think she's cute?"

I heard a lot of yelling on the phone that time. I panicked and felt like kicking the crap out of her face for making him go nuts, grabbing my phone back in one swift motion. Bestie was laughing so hard that she had to go sit on one of the benches placed out on the sidewalk for weary shoppers to rest on. Good, she's gonna need to rest before I kill her later.

"Turbs, calm down, it's me!" I said quickly, hoping to alleviate the situation.

_"WHO WAS THAT?"_

I winced at the sudden screech in my ear and held the phone away from me. "OW! That was my friend, jerk face!"

_"SHE'S EVIL!"_

"Will you chill out?" I snapped at him, having enough of this already. "She was just messing with you. That's how she is."

I heard a lot of deep breathing for a while then finally he said, _"I need you to come home."_

My face fell flat. "Why?"

_"We're out of milk,"_ he explained, as if that was the obvious answer. _"I can't eat my chocolate PopTarts without milk."_

I inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying not to get mad. "Turbs...you have a car and money. Go to the store and buy it yourself."

_"I don't have any more cash,"_ he whined. _"And I can't go to an ATM to get any because I don't have a card to use."_

I didn't even comment right away. Instead, I wiped my hand down my face and resisted strangling him through the phone.

_"Hello? You still there? Hey, I'm bored and hungry, and it's not my fault you left me here without making sure I was provided for first!"_

"Gimme five minutes," I sighed, hanging up on him.

Bestie was still chuckling to herself on the bench, wiping her eyes from where she'd cried tears of laughter.

"I have a brilliantly cunning idea," she said to me with this impish look about her.

Oh great. Why am I surrounded by people that like to do devilish things?

"Let's take him with us!"

I gave her a blank stare. "Are you...sure? He's not exactly the easiest to get along with upon first meeting him."

She waved a dismissive hand at me and blew a raspberry. "Please, I can handle anything."

She can, but I don't know if Turbs can handle _her_.

* * *

Turbo sat in the backseat looking rather displeased and generally annoyed, all "dressed up" in a black tee shirt, some dark jeans, and black tennis shoes I got for him. And yes, he did admit that it was more comfortable to wear since, as I mentioned, the weather got a bit warmer. I couldn't get him in a pair of flip flops though.

I could see him via rear-view mirror glaring invisible death rays at my friend who was in the front passenger seat while I drove, and I was trying not to have a panic attack. I definitely do not feel like having a fight break out in this car.

Where were we going? To get his precious milk, but first Bestie wanted to go by this...hippie store? Gypsy store? Some kinda store with hippie-gypsy trinkets in it. I'll admit, it's all cool to look at but I don't think I'd buy any of it. And I could tell Turbs wasn't happy being shoved in the backseat or at having to "spend time" with Bestie.

"So you never answered my question," Bestie smirked to herself while she was flipping through her text messages.

I flicked my eyes back to the rear-view mirror to catch Turbs glaring even harder at her. "What question?" he growled angrily.

"You know, the one about thinkin' your babysitter here is cute or not."

Oh Lord help me, I am seriously going to kill her for bringing that back up. Turbo's face turned red but he kept the angry look, huffing in response and slouching in his seat, his jaw clenched as if he was trying to keep his temper in.

"What difference does _that_ make? he muttered, staring to the side through the window now.

"Since you're avoiding the question, I'm going to assume that's a 'yes'."

"You know what they say about 'assuming'."

"I think I smell 'denial'."

Turbo quite literally _growled_ at her and then began addressing me. "Tell her to shut up!"

"No, _you_ shut up," Bestie piped up.

"I said shut up first!"

I feel like beating my head against the steering wheel. Boy, I don't know who's more stubborn! It's hard to keep my eyes on both the road and Turbs. Now he's back to glaring daggers into the back of Bestie's head, and she's doing this silent giggle thing.

"Oh look, we're here!" I announced in an overly happy voice as I pulled into the parking lot of the hippie-gypsy store.

* * *

I call it a hippie-gypsy store because it has merchandise that applies to both. There's hookahs, beaded curtains, belly dancing outfits plus instructional dvds, little rocks that act as charms, lava lamps, incense burners, fancy jewelry, organic dresses for the ladies, homemade purses, stuff like that. Bestie likes to look at everything and laugh at it, then will usually buy something as a gag gift for someone. I like all the pretty stuff but...yeah these Grateful Dead posters and stuff like that is freaky.

I think Turbo was a little shell-shocked. We don't have stuff like this in my apartment and he's certainly never seen any of it anywhere else. I was having more fun watching his expressions upon seeing stuff than I was looking at the merchandise myself. He kept tilting his head to the side while looking at the lava lamp, assumingly trying to figure out how it worked.

"That's not real lava, is it?" he asked me a little worriedly, I guess because of his whole volcano death thing.

"Of course not, it'd melt through the whole lamp," I assured him, grabbing him by the sleeve to drag him elsewhere. "How do ya like the hookahs?"

He gave it rather baffled look and I couldn't help but chuckle. "What the heck does it do? That's the goofiest thing I've ever seen."

"It's the thing that the Caterpillar from _Alice in Wonderland_ uses," I answered, hoping that would be a good enough hint for him to figure it out himself.

He looked at me in puzzlement, not getting the reference. I sighed and said, "Fine, we'll watch the movie later." I grinned. "Then you can have some more homework."

His face fell into a deep frown and he stuck his hands in his pockets, looking around the place with a mix of curiosity and maybe a hint of fear of the unknown somewhere in there.

"This place gives me the heebies," he admitted, sticking close to me as we went down another shelf area (they didn't have actual aisles here, just little display shelves).

"We can leave soon as my friend finds something to buy for her sister."

Turbo kinda scowled at that, jerking his eyes over across the store where Bestie was flirting with the cashier guy. Go figure. I guess since she's a tomboy, she's more comfortable talking to guys than I am. Okay, I know Turbo's a guy but...that doesn't count for some reason. I don't know. Why is that guys prefer to chat with girls that are super dolled up like Barbies or the ones that are tomboys? Why don't they talk to just average nice girls? It's so annoying.

"I don't like her," Turbo said in a low voice, poking curiously at some beaded curtains on display against the wall.

I rolled my eyes. "You don't even know her! She's been my best friend for almost ten years, give her a break. We never see each other anymore. Heck, this is the first time in a year I've seen her in person."

He looked down at the thin blue carpet we were walking on and scuffed his shoe on it. "I thought _we_ were best friends."

I was...well...both shocked that he said it and also kinda touched at the same time. I remember the first time he said he was even my friend and how surprising it had been then. He looked a little embarrassed saying it.

"You're my _other_ best friend," I smiled at him, poking him in the shoulder. "You can have more than one."

A thought entered my mind and I said, "Oh, that's why you're acting all goofy. You're jealous."

Turbs looked a bit alarmed at the word, his eyes getting wide. "I am not!"

"Yeah, you are," I replied knowingly, walking along some of the dresses now and pretending to look at them. "You're used to having me all to yourself and you don't know what to do now that I'm hanging out with someone else. That's the real reason you called me, isn't it?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could tell he was kind of stunned by my deduction, not to mention his face had turned just a hint of pink and he turned his head away, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ha, I figured as much," I continued, keeping a playful tone. "You're so silly sometimes. Just because I want to hang with someone else for a change doesn't mean I don't like spending time with you."

He wasn't saying anything so I twisted my head around to cock a brow at him. "What's the matter? I didn't mean to embarrass you if that's what it is."

He looked like he was wanting to say something else but that's when Bestie popped up next to me. "I got a deal on this funny frog thing wearing a mustache sitting on a mushroom! Ha, I'm going to make my sister put it in the baby's room!"

She is _so_ freakin' weird sometimes, I don't even understand.

* * *

Bestie's sister finally had her baby (a girl) so I ended up hugging her good-bye and we parted ways. Turbs had leaped over from the back seat to claim his spot in the front passenger seat, promptly reclining the chair back to his desired position and relaxing in it.

"All right, let's go buy your precious milk," I told him upon getting back in the car.

"I'm _starving_, can't we just go home so I can eat something?" he whined as he fiddled with the radio buttons.

"If we need milk, we might as well stop at the store to get it," I stated calmly, turning onto the road that would lead to the Wal-Mart close to our apartment complex. "Now, what was you gonna say earlier before you got interrupted in the store?"

"_Nothing_!" he snapped quickly, keeping his face turned to the window to watch the traffic go by. "I wasn't going to say _anything_!"

That means he was going to say something potentially embarrassing and now he doesn't want to mention it. All right, fine. He'll wind up telling me sooner or later anyway.

"If you say so," I shrugged casually. "Don't forget about homework."

"Ughhhhhh..."


	23. Now Entering: The Awkward Zone

_Whoop whoop hit the 200 review mark, thanks guys! :D And a big huge thanks to Nekonohime for recommending me as an AUTHOR on TV Tropes for Wreck-It Ralph. I am having a seriously great day guys, love all of you!_

_PS: And sorry for butchering the English language in this chapter, there's a lot of "text speak"._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

So here I am at work...bored. I guess I'd rather be bored here than be busy so I won't complain too much. It's just that if I'm going to be bored, I'd prefer to be elsewhere, you know? Anyway, it was around one o'clock in the AM and I was sitting by my desk with the computer looking up random things on Google to keep myself entertained. I felt my phone buzz in the front pocket of my scrub top so I dug it out to see what it was.

Oh, a text from the Turbs. Of course! Who else would be awake at this hour? Actually, he's gotten pretty good at texting. After I gave him a cheat list of some shorthand terms to use, he took to it rather quickly. Well, it wasn't like I was busy so I decided it wouldn't hurt to engage in whatever conversation he felt like participating in.

Turbo: w_hatcha doin?_

He must be bored too.

Me: _nothin right now. u?_

Turbo: _did my homework...wanna read it?_

Wow, he actually did it without me having to force him? That's a shocker. Though I'm admittedly proud of him for actually doing what I said to do. I was going to watch Alice in Wonderland with him but was too tired to and told him to do it while I was at work.

Me: _how am i gonna do that at work?_

I'm so glad he's a fast replier. I hate waiting five minutes for someone to type something. What I really hate though is when someone sends me a text that simply says "lol" or "ok" or something else equally as short. It's like a wasted message, you have so much space to use up!

Turbo: _dont get mad but i used ur laptop. faster than writing on paper._

He used my...ughhhh. I pray to God he didn't read any of those fanfics I wrote about him.

Turbo: _and i didnt read any of ur stuff...im scarred 4 life from half of what ive seen already._

I laughed at that one. I'll never forget that day he "Googled" himself and found...err, "interesting" art and literature about him.

Me: _lol ur silly :P and i wish ud ask b4 using the laptop but im not mad_

Turbo: _ok...and i didnt know what to do w/ it except put it in ur email draft section_

My eyes lowered when I read that.

Me: _u hacked my email?!_

Turbo:_ no u stayed logged in so it was already open when i got 2 it...but i COULD have hacked it easily since ur passwords all suck_

Yeah...that's how he got my bank account number and social security number to use as blackmail on me. He's only done that once though, back on Valentine's Day when he forced me into chocolate shopping all up and down the highway. We_ still_ have tons of chocolate by the way.

Me: _fine, i'll look at it later. oh and i posted that Snow White essay u did on the internet :P hehe_

He took a minute to answer that one. I just laughed while waiting on him, knowing he'd get mad.

Turbo: _WHAT? WHY WOULD U DO THAT?_

Hahaha I love picking on him, he's such a goof.

Me:_ lol relax, most everyone said u deserved an A for it_

Turbo:_ Oh...well of course I deserve an A. I'm the best at everything...unlike some ppl :P_

I glared at my phone's screen.

Me:_ HEY! not nice_

Turbo:_ dont be hatin', i cant help that im better _

Me: _jerk_

I kinda huffed at that and crossed my arms a bit. He's so freakin' rude sometimes. I've already got low self-esteem as it is, I don't need him rubbing it in. After another couple minutes, he buzzed me again.

Turbo: _sorry i was just kidding_

Pffft, yeah right. I was still sore at him so I reached under the cabinet for my purse, dug some change out, and left my department and headed towards the hospital lobby. Then I made a pit stop at the vending machine to grab a Pepsi then headed back. By the time I got back to my seat, my phone buzzed again.

Turbo: _hey come on dont be mad, i said i was sorry :(_

Ughhh he used the frowny face! Why did he have to go and use the frowny face? It makes me sad inside when I see those. That little twerp. I took a sip of Pepsi before deciding to answer.

Me: _fine i forgive u_

He didn't answer me after that so I took to flipping through a _People_ magazine that had been left sitting out. Then I realized that it was a magazine from three years ago. Go figure, no one ever leaves out the new ones. My phone went off so I took it back out of my pocket.

Turbo: _u know when u asked the other day what i was gonna say 2 u in the store b4 ur friend interrupted me? _

I knew he'd bring it up on his own sooner or later.

Me: _yeah?_

Turbo: _well...it probably sounds stupid...but im sorry i got jealous. thats kinda one of my basic character traits so i cant help it_. _i thot u might b ditchin me like the kids in my backstory did when roadblasters showed up_

Oh. That kinda made me feel bad. I never really thought about it to be honest.

Me:_ oh sorry. didnt mean 2 make u feel like i was abandoning u _

Turbo:_ its ok...it made me think of something else...u think if i hadnt crashed roadblasters and just stayed in my own game, u think maybe the kids wouldve eventually played turbotime again? __u know, like not fully ditch me and come back, like u did_

Err...that's a complicated question. Um...huh.

Me: _i dont think i have an answer for that turbs...id like 2 THINK that they wouldve come back but i dont think anyone knows that answer for sure. like u told me, the creators didnt really detail ur backstory so they prolly didnt think of it either._

He didn't answer immediately, so I'm not sure if he's typing a really long answer if he's not sure what to say. I feel kind of bad that I don't have a real answer for him.

_Turbo: id like 2 think that too...but it kinda hurts thinkin it...like i screwed myself over, u know? _

I sighed, knowing that he was having another identity crisis, though this one wasn't as bad as the other one he had where he threw up after watching Jason Voorhees kill people. I wish I was at home and not here at work.

Me: _its not ur fault. they wrote u like that. u were just acting the way they wanted u 2 act upon getting a rival game 2 deal with...dont worry about it, ur not a bad guy :)_

Turbo_: thanks...ur not too bad either blondie _

Aww. That was kind of nice of him...considering what all I put him through.

Turbo: _the answer was yes btw_

I scrunched my brow up in confusion. What?

Me: _what r u talkin about?_

He was taking longer to respond than he normally does, so he must not be too keen on answering my question. Well, gee, maybe he shouldn't be so cryptic!

Turbo: _u know..._

For the love of all that's holy, what is he talking about?!

Me:_ no i dont know. just tell me b/c i'll never figure it out_

Turbo: _figures, ur having a blonde moment_

A few seconds later...

Turbo:_ the question ur friend asked me the other day...well she asked twice...thats what im talking about... _

I'm still confused. What the heck, what question is he...

Oh.

**_Oh._**

He thinks I'm...

My face immediately felt hot and butterflies invaded my stomach. Oh crap...uh...ha, how do I...how do I respond to that? Without being awkward, I mean? I mean...oh boy, uh...

Turbo:_ it doesnt mean anything...im just stating a fact...please dont kill me when u come home_

Oh great! GREAT. Now he's gonna be all weird when he didn't used to be before. I'm so killing Bestie for this.

Me (to Bestie): _Thanx 4 makin things awkward w/ me n turbs. thats wut i was TRYING 2 AVOID!_

I had to think of something to tell Turbo before he thought I was mad at him. I'm not, really I'm not, but...ahhh this is insane! I tried so hard to keep this type of awkward boy-girl junk out of the relationship.

Me (to Turbs): _im not gonna kill u. id have been mad if you'd said the answer was "no" tbh_

Turbo:_ tbh?_

Me:_ "to be honest"_

Turbo:_ oh...well good thing ur not ugly b/c then i would've HAD to say "no". i may be a good liar but i'm not gonna lie about THAT_

Okay so he's being serious when he says I'm...err..."not ugly". Why am I weirded out with this? I should be _glad_ he doesn't think I'm ugly because that means other guys probably don't either.

Bestie: _wtf r u talkin about?_

Finally! Only, ugh, now I have two conversations to do at the same time. I need to make sure I don't accidentally send the wrong text to the wrong person. _That_ would be bad.

Me (to Bestie): _u kno wut im talkin about! u asked him if he thot i was cute and now hes acting all weird!_

Bestie:_ hahahaha! XD i knew it! he follows you around like a puppy, its soooooo cute. ;)_

Me:_ im gonna kill u_

Bestie:_ so whens the wedding? _

I facepalmed myself in frustration.

Me:_ im REALLY gonna kill u. we are NOT getting married. EVER. _

Bestie:_ u know in seven years youll be considered a common law couple anyway so what does it matter? I say ur both in denial. u always sound happy when u talk about him so just fess up already. _

I kind of startled back in my seat when I read that. Really? I sound "happy"? I thought I'd sound annoyed when talking about him. Ahhhh, why is this happening to me? My life has turned itself into a bigger madhouse than it already is.

Turbo:_ so ur really not mad? i only said it b/c its been bothering me_

Oh that's just wonderful. It's been _bothering_ him that he thinks I'm..."not ugly". What a freakin' mess. I need to fix this before things get weirder.

Me: (to Turbs): _im not mad and dont think about it anymore. we're still just friends, ok? _

Me (to Bestie):_ ur delusional. i dont have some weird crush on turbs. that would be...weird. besides he just said it doesnt mean anything that he thinks im cute so wtf r we even having this conversation for?_

Bestie_: it ALWAYS means something when a guy thinks ur cute...especially if hes living w/ u already ;) lol besides, he's prolly seen u at ur worst already like w/ no makeup n stuff on, so if he still says ur cute after THAT well..._

I am so sick of this conversation. How did this even happen? I just want to lay down and sleep this off, this is driving me nuts. I'm getting a headache.

Turbo:_ ok...it ok if i ask u something? _

Somehow I'm nervous about that.

Me:_ might as well_

My phone buzzed with another message from Bestie...I'm getting dizzy carrying on two conversations.

Bestie: _i still say u should loosen up. sure he looks weird but heck he looks better than that creep ex of urs..._

I sighed audibly and rubbed my eyes, which were hurting due to staring at my phone's screen so long. Good thing work is dead right now!

Me: _no comment_

Bestie_: hahaha :P y'know for sum1 that says they dont like someone, u sure are gettin defensive ;) _

If my face wasn't already red, it sure would be _now. _I am seriously going to kill her. Okay not really but I would like to at least punch her. She's my bud but holy crap she likes to start trouble.

Bestie:_ "denial" (imagine me singing the word 2 u) :P ok im going now bye_

Why...why do I surround myself with these types of people that make my blood pressure rise?

Turbo:_ well theres this movie comin out soon i kinda wanted to go see and since ive never been to a movie theatre, i thot maybe we could go? _

Oh is that all he wanted? Heck, I don't care. I love going to the show! I can't believe I never thought to take him there. What's wrong with me?

Turbo: _its not like a date or anything..._

I smacked my face with my palm. Good grief, every single dang conversation we have from now on better _not_ be this awkward!

Me:_ i KNOW its not a date, silly. stop gettin weird on me, nothings changed okay? i already said we're still just friends so calm down. _

Oops, forgot to answer the original question.

Me:_ and yeah we can go 2 the movies. what is it?_

Turbo:_ the new Thor movie_

Oh good, something I'm already interested in.

Me:_ ok sounds fine 2 me_

Turbo:_ okay thanks...well im tired gonna crash 4 a while...good nite :)_

Aww, smiley face. Wait, why am I "awww-ing"? I don't "aww" when other people send me smiley faces. I told him "sweet dreams" and then at last all was quiet. Or, rather, it was already quiet since I wasn't talking out loud, I was texting but...you know what I mean! The drama is over with...for now anyway.

I don't even feel like reading his homework right now, I'll do it when I get home...and then post it online. Hehe.


	24. Curiouser and Curiouser

_Apple: pffft like I'd go on a date with HIM, that would be the most awkward thing ever lol. Not that I don't like making things awkward but I'm not about to make this into some mushy thing, nope nope._

_jabootsy25: aww thanks, that's nice of you to say :)_

_That Guest Person: lol I know, time flies doesn't it! _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

So I got home at around seven-thirty in the AM. Turbo's Corvette wasn't parked anywhere so I assume he left to go drive around or whatever it is he does when he isn't with me. Anyway, I noticed that he was nice and filled up Kitty's food and water for her, so that was one less thing I had to do. I took my shower and blow-dried my hair at least, grabbed a snack out of the cabinet, then sat down with my laptop on my bed.

And yeah, I did leave my e-mail logged in so he had been telling the truth about that. I seriously need to be more careful with that stuff seeing as how I live with a hacker. Like he said, his homework assignment was saved under my drafts section so that it wouldn't be sent to anyone. Haha, _Alice in Wonderland_. Let's see how he thought about _this_ one.

* * *

_How I (Turbo) Felt About "Alice in Wonderland"_

_I'd like to discuss the plot of this but...let's face it, there IS no plot. At all. Just TRY and make a plot line out of this movie. I dare you. _

_Basically, this little girl named Alice is bored to death while her sister reads some book out in the countryside. She starts singing about how she wishes she were in her own little world and that she apparently likes cats and rabbits and flowers and other girly stuff. So she's like any other little kid...at least any kid that doesn't live in a candy world and only cares about candy and racing. Which is way cooler. _

_Anyway, all of a sudden this white rabbit shows up screaming about how he's late for something and Alice gets nosey and chases him into his rabbit hole. That's when things get really kooky, for you see, this rabbit hole acts as a sort of portal to a new world. I'll admit that's kinda neat. Alice reacts to this unlike most people would and doesn't freak out in the slightest. She's pretty chill about the whole thing, which I think is kinda odd but then again maybe she's used to weirder things happening. Who knows, it's not like we have a BACKSTORY for her or anything. _

_Yeah so Wonderland is really freakin' weird. There's a door guy (a literal door with eyes and a mouth) that talks and tells her to eat and drink stuff that makes her either too big or too small. She doesn't freak out about the door talking but cries her eyes out because she got too big and her tears cause a flood. Then she gets small again and float through the door's keyhole/mouth...yeah. After that-_

_Gonna be honest, blondie, I don't remember what order things went in after that because this is the most random movie ever. Something about a dodo bird and other birds chasing each other in a circle, these freaky bouncy twin things that sang about a walrus and a carpenter that wanted to eat little oyster children (that's kinda disturbing), the White Rabbit acts like a dumb-butt and doesn't even recognize Alice at one point and tells her to go in his house where she gets big and small again (ahhh growing pains), then finally we meet the caterpillar._

_At least I now know what a "hookah" is (I had to look the word up to spell it). Caterpillar can be one angry little dude...not sure how appropriate for a "kid movie" it is to have someone smoking and tellin' a kid to eat mushrooms but whatever._

_Meanwhile, during all these insane adventures, Alice is perfectly calm about it and doesn't act like any of this is strange in the slightest. Okay she gets a little aggravated sometimes but that's not the same thing as running around freaked out about this nightmare land. Me? I might would have freaked a few times if this world is where I ended up._

_So anyway, then there was this deal about a cat that turns invisible except for his smile which was kinda cool. He wastes Alice's time with stupid directions and she ends up going to this nutty tea party with an old guy with a funny hat, a brown rabbit (hare, whatever) and a mouse in a teapot. Why was he in the teapot? We never know and quite frankly I don't WANT to know. _

_At least I understand why people think "King Candy" is a Mad Hatter rip off. The resemblance is...unsettling. I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not actually. So embarrassing. And how come no one accuses the Hatter of being...well, into other guys, to put it nicely. Everyone on the freakin' internet accuses me of being that way, yet no one bothers accusing the guy that I apparently "ripped off". Those people need to check themselves into a looney bin. I like GIRLS...grown-up girls...not little girls... let's clear that up before anyone decides to twist THAT into something perverted. _

_So the White Rabbit shows up again and Alice gets lost and wants to go home where she can watch her sister read some more, I guess. The grinning cat shows back up and turns out to be the only useful character in this film by giving Alice a shortcut to the Queen of Hearts' castle. Now THIS place is pretty turbo-tastic. It's got this cool maze thing made out of hedges and rose bushes everywhere and all kinds of stuff. _

_Only I would never go there because the Queen is a freakin' lunatic. No, she really is. In the "rehab center", she thinks that normal household objects are real because she's used to it being that way in Wonderland. She goes nuts when people play cards because she thinks they are real too. She even thought an umbrella was a bird one time. She's a whack job. _

_Not to mention, YIKES, she wants to cut people's heads off! Even though her guards were trying to cover up the white roses with red paint (how does that even work?), she wanted them all to die. That's pretty dang gruesome. Even I didn't go around murdering my subjects, not even the NPC's that cheered from the candy boxes. Why kill off subjects and what-not? There wouldn't be anyone left if you did that! What's the point in being royalty if there's no one to serve you?!_

_Maybe I'm putting too much thought into a movie that pretty much doesn't have a plot line or doesn't even make sense. Anyway, Alice gets dragged into this game called croquet which looks boring as heck only in Wonderland instead of using a mallet, a ball, and those little ring things, they use a flamingo to hit the hedgehogs with to go through the playing card guys that make up the little ring things. And they cheat to make the Queen win...I guess I'd help her cheat too if it kept her from wanting to slice my head off. Gee, a Queen who needs to cheat, that's classy. "I" never had to cheat in MY game so why should SHE? _

_The grinning cat thing shows up and plays a funny prank on the Queen (haha) only the Queen thinks Alice did it. They then go through this crazy courtroom scene where no one that was even there to witness this shows up as a witness. Yeah, makes a LOT of sense. But then again, nothing in this movie makes sense which I assume is the point. _

_Alice finally acts like a normal human being and tells the Queen what a horrible person she is (after growing big from some more mushroom) only she shrinks down again and then this crazy chase scene happens where every single character shows up and tries to KILL her. Wow, that's...gruesome. I mean, she's kind of a boring little kid but she doesn't deserve to die I don't guess...and yeah I'm fully aware that I tried to kill a kid once myself so just shut up. Anyway, Alice ends up back at the talking door and right when she's about to get slaughtered, she...wakes up. Turns out she fell asleep in the meadow beside her sister and her sister is the one that woke her up so they could go home._

_Oh, I get it. It was all a dream. No wonder nothing made sense. Huh...well, in that case this movie's not that bad then. At least it has a REASON for not making any sense. That was actually pretty decent for a movie about a kid's nutty dream. At least it was imaginative. I guess I didn't completely waste my time watching this one. Gotta say, looking back it was better than seeing Prince No-Name kiss a dead Snow White. Geez, I just thought of this, a guy that doesn't even have a name gets more game than I do and it was with some dead chick. Not that I want to kiss a dead chick but...never mind._

_Okay, blondie, that's all I can come up with. If I'm not there when you get home, I went for a drive. Though you probably already assumed that I would do that anyway._

* * *

Geez, he likes to ramble sometimes. Well, it was good enough I guess. I figured he couldn't do much with the plot anyway but at least he didn't gripe and complain about it like he did with Snow White's movie. And speaking of movies, he must be nuts if we're gonna wait 'til freakin' November to go see one in an actual theatre. Yeah, the next Thor movie doesn't come out 'til November and it's only the end of April now. Yeah, we're going to see the next Iron Man movie this summer, I ain't waiting around to go to the show.

Me (to Turbo): _u prolly wont get this til later but did u srsly want 2 wait til november 2 see a movie? i thot ud want 2 go this summer_

Since I didn't think he'd answer right away, I went ahead and turned the lights out and crashed in bed. Ahhh...sleep!

_Buzz buzz buzz "you're so vain...you probably think this song is about you, dont you?..." buzz buzz buzz_

Or not. Ugh. Why is he calling me, why didn't he just text back? I pulled the phone out from under my pillow where I keep it so I can hear my alarm go off later.

"What?" I answered groggily, seriously exhausted from my night at work.

"Gee, you sound pleasant," was the sarcastic reply I got. "I thought that was coming out in May?"

"No, that's the new _Iron Man."_ I rubbed at my face for a few seconds. "We can go see that one too if you like."

"Really?" He sounded half-confused, half-surprised. "You don't mind?"

"Of course not." I paused a second to think. "Why do you think I'd mind?"

Turbs didn't answer immediately which sort of annoyed me. "No reason, I just thought you would."

I rolled my eyes. "Well it's not like we're going on a _date_, like you said earlier. We're just buds, I don't care if we go places. I told you once that I liked doing stuff with you long as its legal_."_

"Yeah, I remember..."

I shifted my eyes around waiting for him to perhaps finish saying something. He didn't. _Sigh. _He's getting weird on me again_._

"You're not embarrassed that you think I'm cute, do you?" I finally asked, my stomach feeling weird again.

"No, nothing like that!" he answered quickly. "I mean...maybe a little bit, just because I'm stupid and told you."

I sighed deeply. "I told you already not to worry about it. I don't care. Really. So long as you don't have some weird crush thing on me, we're good."

There was a good ten second silence before I heard what sounded like forced nervous laughter. "Haha, of course not, why would I ever have one of those? That's, ha, that's ridiculous. I wouldn't even know what that feels like...I mean, I've never had one before so I don't know what it feels like so...yeah don't, don't worry about it, blondie. You're, uh, you're crush-free let us say. And uh..."

His mood flipped and before I knew it, he was getting P.O.'d. "And why are you even insinuating that anyway, you crazy girls are all the same, _you're_ the one that needs to quit making this awkward, geez!"

He hung up before I could even say "bye" back. Gee, that was weird. I guess I embarrassed him by even asking. Maybe I shouldn't be so paranoid. Of course he doesn't like me that way, how silly of me. I'm just making a mountain of a molehill like I always do. Just because someone thinks someone else is "not ugly" doesn't mean you like them, right?

_Right?_

_(You guys are supposed to shake your heads "yes")_

Okay good, now that we're all on the same page...yeah, I need some sleep. This is all making my brain hurt. Not to mention, we gotta go to Disney World in a few days so...woo-hoo.


	25. BONUS: TURBO'S POV

**BONUS: TURBO'S POV**

Stop that! Stop that, all of you guys! Yeah, YOU, I'm talking to you, the person on the other side of this computer monitor.

I do NOT have a..."crush"...on Blondie. What kind of stupid word is that anyway, you don't literally crush the person, otherwise they would be nothing but a squishy flat dead thing. So just shut up. Shut up now.

Okay I think she's cute but that's IT. She doesn't seem to think she is sometimes but...

ANYWAY...

Since I'm stuck here in the apartment AGAIN by myself (Blondie's at work), I'm going to force you guys to stay here with me. Hehe. She's not doing anything important you guys want to read about anyway.

So I decided to do extra homework out of boredom. Okay not really, since I'm not gonna write it down to where Blondie can read it. I'm gonna wait 'til she assigns it so that way I'll already know how the movie goes so I won't have to watch it later! Get it?

I'm so smart, I amaze myself sometimes.

Anywho, so this is called..._Lady and the Tramp_. Don't think it's appropriate to have the word "tramp" in a kids movie but I guess its better than watching a kid grow high from mushrooms and talk to a smoking caterpillar. So far nothing's happening except this woman gets a little puppy for Christmas from her husband and names her Lady.

Aww, what a cute puppy...

Ahem.

So Lady is already showing signs of being spoiled rotten as she doesn't want to be alone at night and shut up in the kitchen, whining to come upstairs where her owners are at. Ha, I know the feeling kid. At least it's not thunderstorming or you really WOULD be wanting to go upstairs and share a bed. I hope Blondie didn't mind those two times I snuck in the bed; she hasn't exactly thrown me out yet...not that I like getting in the bed or anything.

So anyway Lady wins the battle for the bed and she grows up into a spoiled rotten adult. She spends her days like any other dog by fetching the paper, digging things up, and chasing rats. She kinda screws this stuff up sometimes but she thinks she's being helpful. At least she has an upbeat personality, she seems pretty spunky. So on this particular day she gets her very first collar and license tag, which in this world is kind of like the mark of royalty. If a dog has one of these, its like getting the stamp of approval from the other dogs in the neighborhood and you are welcome to be part of the snooty snob club.

I think this is supposed to represent the higher members of society in the human world, like...what are they called? Those really rich famous people that go to prestigious events and stuff and are only famous for being rich and junk? Like that stupid _Gossip Girl_ show that I watched ONE EPISODE of because it was so stupid and those kids are total rich brats.

I'm glad I didn't end up at some rich snooty person's house when I first came to the Real World. I mean, yeah, I'd rather live in a big house of course but it's not bad living here with Blondie. She treats me pretty decent even though I think I drive her nuts sometimes. Anyone else probably would've already strangled me.

You know I feel bad that time I tried to choke her to death but I was in a really dark part of my mind that day. She freakin' threw me to the wolves! And she said she hated me. That hurt my feelings. I don't normally care if people hate me, since I'm a villain and all that, but that really did hurt my feelings. But then she apologized and rescued me and stuff so I guess we're cool now.

Oh right, the movie.

So anyway, she shows off her collar and tags to these two older male dogs named Jock and Trusty. The latter doesn't have a sense of smell anymore, which is sad because he used to be a police dog and track criminals down but now he can't even do that anymore. I don't know what I'd do if I suddenly lost the ability to drive. That would be miserable. I love my car. And that was pretty nice of Blondie to stick up for me that time that Dodge dealership guy was talking smack about me. I didn't think she cared THAT much, since she tends to gripe at me a good bit but not all the time.

Sorry I keep getting sidetracked.

Now we're finally meeting the Tramp character, who is a pretty upbeat guy himself who lives as a stray. He has complete freedom and goes wherever he wants and does whatever he wants. Pretty cool way to live. Aww look more puppies!

Ahem...

So the Tramp is running around being his tramp-tastic self (haha) and he meets up with two of his buddies who were caught by the dogcatcher and rescues them. Apparently, the Tramp is a notorious stray who always evades getting caught and always gives the dogcatchers the slip. Pretty slick, dog. He ends up in Lady's neighborhood (haha "Snob Hill") and makes commentary on how everyone is on a leash and in a fenced yard, never being free like he is.

He has a point but how "free" are you really when you are constantly evading the law and having to watch your back all the time? At least with an owner, you're properly cared for and don't have to worry about stuff. At the same time, society CAN be a little restricting with its rules and social graces and that kinda junk.

I like that I have a little leg room around here, sure Blondie can keep a tight leash but at least I'm not running around trying to fend for myself in a world I'm not familiar with. And she lets me do stuff I want to do sometimes. Like bungee jumping (that was hilarious) and helping me get a place to drive around as fast as I want.

Anyway, so in the meantime Lady has been having some problems at home. Her owners are acting weird and they aren't giving her as much attention and the woman owner even spanked her. She's never been spanked before and this is all confusing for her. I understand how that feels...not getting spanked of course...I meant like having your world suddenly change. Not that I remember much about my own limited backstory, but I remember not appreciating being rejected by players when the played _RoadBlasters_ and then again when my royal reign at _Sugar Rush_ was threatened. Life is freakin' confusing sometimes.

The deal here happens to be that the owners are going to have a baby and they are just being cautious about the soon-to-be mom not stressing herself out and doing strenuous things. Lady, being a younger dog, has no idea what a baby is and asks her two older friends about it. That's when the Tramp finally comes back into the picture and he overhears her question.

I guess his name is "Tramp" for a reason and true to his name he happens to think Lady is really cute. So he swaggers up and takes control of the scene, saying that babies are nothing but trouble and starts telling her about how much different her life is going to be...in a negative way. Err...I don't think women like to hear stuff like that. Blondie sure doesn't. Anyway, he's kinda freaking her out saying that she's not going to get her fancy dinners or get to do anything fun anymore and eventually get thrown out in the doghouse. Yeah, that's a real smooth way to get a chick, pal.

Not that I would know how to get one. Obviously.

Like it would even work anyway. I'm a cartoon character, for Walt's sake. And she's weird about that guy stuff anyway. I don't know what her deal is but I think the idea of even having a boyfriend freaks her out. Even though at the same time she worries about what guys think of her. Girls are so weird! Especially HER.

Um...

Anyway back to the movie...Jock and Trusty are mad that the Tramp made Lady all scared about her potential future and they don't seem to like him anyway because he's a homeless mutt. It's kind of like how high society people don't like poor people I guess. Like they don't have the proper "breeding", per se. Kinda rude. It's like us villains getting cast out for "rehab" just because we were written to be bad. It's not OUR fault we were written that way. Give us a break. Blondie seems to like villains anyway, thank Walt...not that I care.

So the months fly by and the baby is here. Lady is still curious as to what a baby is exactly since no one ever gave her a straight answer earlier. She still thinks it's this horrible thing that will make her life miserable (thanks to the Tramp) even though all the humans seem happy about it. Well, she finally gets her answer and turns out everything is going to be just fine. The owners let her see the baby and she falls in love with it and becomes determined to keep it safe from danger. I guess that's supposed to symbolize her "growing up" and becoming more like an adult, as I'm pretty sure she's going to be a mom herself one day if the back of this dvd cover has anything to say about it.

And then the perfect world comes to a halt when this old bitty named Aunt Sarah shows up with her two cats to babysit for a few days while the owners go out of town. Dang, this woman is crazy. She is very talkative and doesn't let the owners get a word in edgewise, practically kicking them out the door. Even Lady is shut out of the house and when she tries to see the baby again, Aunt Sarah throws her out and blames her for making the baby cry when it was HER loud mouth that did it!

So now Lady knows how it feels to be rejected and it hurts her feelings that she can't see the baby. The two cats pop out and tear the house apart, getting into trouble, eat the bird, try to eat the fish, and then pretend to be injured to blame Lady for everything. She didn't even do anything! She was being her responsible self and gets blamed for the delinquents making a mess. I'm glad Kitty doesn't do that stuff, she's very well behaved. In fact, she's sleeping in my lap right now.

I wonder if that's how Blondie felt when she got thrown to the ground that time I was speeding, since it WAS my fault and she's the one that got in trouble. It was kinda funny at the time but she was sure mad about it. She doesn't like cops for some reason, I don't know why. I asked her one time and she got all weird on me and changed the subject. She doesn't like people nagging her about stuff so I just don't bother.

Anyway, so Aunt Sarah apparently just hates dogs and immediately blames Lady for being a terror. She takes her to a pet shop where she tries to put a MUZZLE on her. That is rude, she didn't bite anyone and she didn't do anything wrong! I hate judgmental people. And Aunt Sarah has no right to do that anyway, that isn't her dog and she has no business doing that to her.

Lady naturally freaks out at this because she has never been muzzled before and she bolts out of the store with the leash and muzzle still attached to her. She nearly gets run over a few times and she gets her first taste of culture-shock. She's never been away from her high society neighborhood so being on the streets is rather frightening. Not to mention, she's getting chased by these giant bully dogs that want to beat her up for...I guess trespassing on their turf?

Oh look, there's the Tramp! Oooh fight scene! _(*happy face*) _

Finally, I watch a Disney movie with some action in it! Dang, he's a good fighter. I've never been in a fight before, I wonder how I would hold up? Not that I want to get in a fight or anything, I'm just curious. Maybe I should go to the gym or something? You guys think I should? And no I'm NOT fat, don't even comment on that. I know I eat a lot of chocolate but I'm NOT fat. Blondie would have me on a diet if that were the case. She cooks pretty okay I guess. Not like her mom, her mom cooks GREAT, but she tries her best.

Back to the movie...okay so the Tramp saved Lady and he feels sorry for her wearing a muzzle and decides to help her get it off. What a gentleman. See, "lower members of society" are good people! I guess Lady knows now how it feels to be on the opposite end of the spectrum, being outcast and being on her own like a stray does. Ha, she's so funny, thinking they have to do everything legal and stuff when the Tramp's just like "screw it". Reminds me of me and Blondie.

They end up at the zoo where they meet this beaver with a hearing problem, and the Tramp smooth-talks him into biting the muzzle off of Lady's face by telling him that it is a device to help build dams with. Ha, what a moron. But hey, it winds up working like a charm.

So instead of taking her home right away, the two of them go for a stroll around town and he tells her how it is to be a stray. Since he doesn't have a home or a family, he can do whatever he wants and he goes to visit different families every day to get fed. Again, it's nice to have freedom but what's the point if you have to beg for scraps? He thinks it's better than being stuck in a yard or a house though but Lady seems to think having a family around to love is better. I think I agree with both of them, if that makes sense.

Speaking of families, that was nice for Blondie to say that I could think of hers as mine. I don't have one at all. I don't know anything about the two other racers in my game because...well they have literally no story to tell so there's nothing there for me to remember. I wonder how they would have acted? Would I have gotten along with them or would we have hated each other? Did they die when _TurboTime_ got unplugged? I'd feel bad if they did even if I didn't know them. I don't like to think that I killed someone.

Anyway, in the movie the Tramp finds this Italian restaurant that he visits alot and introduces the two Italian guys that run the place to Lady. So he's taking her on a date huh? Geez, that means that a no-name prince with a dead girlfriend and a DOG have more experience than me in this type stuff...I mean...pfft, what do I care, it's not like I want to date anyone. Especially Blondie because I DON'T like her like that. At all. Not that there's anything wrong with her, but...

MOVING ON.

They mention something about him bringing a lot of girls there or something like that, and Lady doesn't understand them because of their accents but the Tramp looks pretty nervous about them opening their big mouths around her haha. Dude, it doesn't help your case to keep your past a secret. Look what happened to ME. I tried covering my past up and it got me eaten by a bug, melted in a volcano, and also thrown in prison because of freakin' MICKEY MOUSE claiming that I lied about everything to Blondie when I DIDN'T!

Sorry, that really made me upset. I still can't believe she thought I was lying about everything but then again she DID apologize. I would've been happy to see her except all I had been thinking about for two days in that prison cell was that she supposedly didn't really care about me. I mean, I guess she had to have cared to go through the trouble of coming to rescue me. Probably shouldn't have slapped her while we were there but she was being ridiculous.

Anyway, back to the movie...aww they kissed! Wait, I mean...eww... Well, how should I know what a kiss feels like, I've never had one. I don't know if it's nice or gross. I mean, I guess they're nice since people do them all the time. Not that I want one or anything...

The only thing I've ever had is a hug. You know, Blondie's the first person to ever give me a hug. I didn't really know what the heck she was doing at the time so it was kind of embarrassing for her to suddenly do that but...yeah, hugs are fine. I don't mind them...not that I want one of those either...

So our two new lovebirds (haha they're victims of PUPPY love!) go meandering about town all night and fall in love with each other...

You know I wonder if I would even know what that would feel like if it ever happened to me. I'm not exactly programmed to "like" people. It's difficult to even make friends sometimes. Good thing I got someone like Blondie around that can be stubborn and put up with me. I wonder if she's ever loved anyone. I'm not about to ask because she'll just freak out on me. Like this morning when she said something about me having a "crush" thing on her, that kinda hurt my feelings a little bit. Would it really be that bad?

I mean, if I WERE to have one on her that is. Because I don't. Just sayin' would it really be that bad if I DID?

And like she'd even like me anyway, she likes guys that look like...I dunno, like superheroes. Like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark or someone. I'm on the short side with a gray complexion and glow-in-the-dark yellow eyes. I personally don't think I look bad, but to other people I'm...well, odd. Yeah, sure people sometimes come up and ask for autographs and pictures because they're fans of mine, and I eat that up like there's no tomorrow. But you don't see me getting chicks' phone numbers and asked out or whatever. Not that I'd want to go with someone that just "likes" me because I'm somewhat famous, but still it would be kind of nice I guess.

ANYWAY...

So the new couple wakes up and the Tramp asks Lady to travel the world with him and be free of her high society life. She seems interested except that she will miss her family and that she has to do her job and watch over the baby. He's rather disappointed in this but offers to take her home anyway. Gah, that sucks. I mean, the guy probably spent his whole life just wandering around flirting with anything that moved and he finally finds this ONE chick that he really likes and she doesn't want to be with him right now. Ouch.

That's kind of scary, letting your feelings be known and proposing this idea to run off together only get to shot down. That would suck if it happened to me...not that I'd be doing that anyway.

Unfortunately, they end up taking a detour when they pass a chicken coop and the Tramp wants Lady to break out of her shell and have some random illegal fun by chasing the chickens. Ha, this sooo reminds me of...never mind.

The two of them are now on the run from the law and Lady gets captured by the dogcatcher but the Tramp doesn't notice this and keeps on running. By the time he figures it out, he has no clue where she got off to. In his defense, he does go to try and look for her but it's too late. She ends up in the pound which is like...prison. Oh dear Walt, we're going through this now? She ends up in puppy prison and, holy geez they killed a dog! Yeah, they just killed one of the dogs because no one came to claim him and no one adopted him.

Man, I'm glad Disney Prison doesn't operate that way. What if I'd never gotten out? Would I have rotted to death or been executed? Dying isn't fun, people. Getting eaten alive or burnt to a crisp SUCKS.

So the pound is where the lowest of the lower society goes when they are caught. They're considered the scum of the universe and Lady feels rather fish-out-of-water here. Thankfully she has a collar with tags so they can call her house to get her owners to get her. Or rather Aunt Sarah (who started this whole mess) to get her. While at the pound, Lady learns about all of her new boyfriend's previous girlfriends and she thinks that he was just using her for a one-night stand type thing.

Gee, talk about trust issues. She hears a bunch of people talk smack about some guy that's been nothing but nice to her and she immediately believes THEM. Huh, doesn't THAT sound familiar? I swear, Blondie has the worst problem with trusting people, I have no idea where that came from, it's not like I know her backstory all that well since she's clammed up but geez...

So Aunt Sarah comes to get Lady and she gets chained up outside. She gets proposed to by her older dog friends for whatever reason and the Tramp shows up with a gift to help mend things. Of course, Jock and Trusty think he's a jerk for getting her in the pound and he starts apologizing about it, saying that he didn't even know until much later, which is the truth. Lady doesn't believe him and tells him to get lost and never come back because she believes whatever everyone else said...

This is eerily mirroring my life...not even joking.

So he leaves broken-hearted and that's when the rat shows up. Yeah, an evil dirty rat (I'll call him Mickey) shows up and a thunderstorm happens and the rat sneaks into the baby's room. Lady freaks out and starts barking to wake Aunt Sarah up so she will check on the baby but the stupid woman thinks she's just being a dumb barking dog and slams her window shut. Luckily, the Tramp hadn't gone too far and he hears Lady freaking out and comes back, where she tells him where the baby's room is so he can take care of Mickey the Rat.

Now I gotta say, even though this guy thinks he has no use for humans and doesn't even acts like he cares for them, here he is willingly going into a house to save a baby. And that's AFTER he just got told off by his new girlfriend about being a selfish cad. Ha, see there, us bottom-feeders are the best out there! He kills Mickey and Lady finally busts free of her chain and the two of them have this little reunion scene, right before Aunt Sarah FINALLY shows up and blames it all on them...yeah, she doesn't even see Mickey the rat, ignores Lady trying to show it to her, locks them up in separate rooms and calls the dogcatcher to come get the Tramp.

Gah, what the heck, this woman is really getting on my nerves. Talk about short-sighted. I mean, yeah, the baby-bed fell over and the baby cried and stuff but dang it's better than him getting bit by a RAT. But no, she jumps to conclusions and blames the dogs AGAIN. The dogcatcher takes the Tramp away who is obviously limping because he got bit and Lady's snob friends say he deserved it but at the same time can't believe that he would hurt a child. I hope one day people say that about me, that they wouldn't believe I'd hurt someone but I doubt it.

The owners FINALLY come home and get worried about all of this ruckus. They let Lady out and act like normal people and listen to her and they find the dead Mickey and everyone figures out what happened. This all would've been settled if they had just listened to her in the first place. But people don't know how to listen. Like me. I don't know how to listen sometimes. Hehe.

Jock and Trusty feel like jerks for accusing the Tramp for being so dastardly and they decide to track down the dogcatcher wagon. Trusty miraculously regains his sense of smell and they manage to get the wagon to stop, unfortunately it falls over in the process. Lady and her people show up and she reunites with her boyfriend only the happiness doesn't last long because Trusty got really bad hurt from the wagon.

I wonder if anyone would feel bad if I got hurt? Well, Blondie cared when I got sick that one time...ahem.

WELL, now some time has passed and Lady and the Tramp are living together with their family of puppies. He even has a collar with tags, having been deemed worthy enough to join the ranks of high society for his heroic act in saving the baby. So I guess he figured out that love and family is more important than being on his own and fending for himself on the streets, being truly happy now. I hope something like that happens to me one day...not that it's like a dream of mine or nothing, I mean it would be NICE I guess...

Gee, that was a sweet movie. I rather liked that one. I don't think I disliked any of it except for that stupid aunt being so rude.

Okay I'm gonna say bye for now, guys. Thanks for watching that movie with me. Oh and we're going to Disney World again soon (yuck) because of my stupid "probation". Not sure what I have to do as far as that goes, but at least Blondie's going with me so it won't be too bad...I mean, not that she makes the trip any better or anything, I just don't want to go alone...that doesn't mean I'm a wuss either. I wonder if she likes all the other Disney characters as much as me. I'm kinda curious who her favorite was before I showed up.

Ha, yeah I'm her favorite. She's told me plenty times. It's always nice to hear that. Not because it's HER saying it but...

You know what, this entire conversation we just had never happened. Hear me? NEVER HAPPENED. I find out you told Blondie anything I just said, I will "go Turbo" on YOU. Yeah, I will ruin you. RUIN you.

And why are you even bothering me anyway? Go bother Blondie, leave me alone.

I'm going to go smother myself in my fluffy pillows now.


	26. The Gate to Other Dimensions

_Reid: lol well this IS a parody, it's a running gag that my name never gets said. I'm weird about my real name being out in public so it's gonna stay that way ;) a lot of this fic DOES bear heavy resemblance to my real life though, with a few minor differences of course._

_Poppyseed Cy-Bug: I honestly didn't see the resemblance between this fic and Lady and the Tramp until I wrote that chapter and just deduced it the farther I went into the chapter. I kinda spooked myself lol it wasn't intended AT ALL.  
_

_That Guest Person: phew, Beauty and the Beast will be a doozy to write about! lol but he'll tackle it because I say so :P Not sure if he'll like it or not...  
_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Turbo's acting grumpier than usual. Not sure why. He's been in a bad mood all morning, grumbling to himself, poking at his eggs I fried for him, slowly sipping at his chocolate milk (that's really unusual)...basically he's acting like a general butthead. The only thing I can think of is that he's upset at having to go to Disney World today. Still, that's no reason to act like a jerk here at home.

"Snap out of it, Turbs, you might as well make the most of it," I told him after he finally finished his food.

He narrowed his eyes at me and wordlessly thrust his plate and cup at me to take, then hauled himself to the bathroom to get dressed. The breakfast bar is open to the kitchen so I could take it from him while standing in front of the sink. I normally don't hand wash dishes (because I'm admittedly lazy when it comes to manual labor) but I went ahead and did it anyway just to be doing something. He still wasn't even dressed yet and he's been awake for a whole hour. Good thing he doesn't do the morning shower thing too often or he'd probably stay in there forever as a way of stalling. Me? I've _been_ ready to go, having donned a turquoise fitted tee, some white Capri pants, and some sparkly silver flip-flops.

"You know, you're not really living up to your reputation of being _fast," _I called out to him after a good ten minutes had passed, during which I had busied myself with a little extra kitchen clean up.

Another five minutes later, he finally emerged, having simply settled for putting his original racing outfit on, which I kinda figured he'd wear anyway considering where we were going. He plopped himself back in the kitchen chair he had been in while eating breakfast and grumpily crossed his arms and stared down at the bar as if it was the enemy.

"I'm ready I guess," he muttered so low that I barely heard him.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Don't be so negative. At least you're not going to the you-know-where this time."

Turbs threw me a quick glare before casting his eyes back down. "Don't even joke."

* * *

So how did we get to Disney World this time? Well, I didn't have help from Donald's kooky uncle and we didn't get arrested, so we had to go the normal way. What was the normal way you ask? Well, I don't know if you'd consider it a conventional way of travel but...

"Don't worry, fellas, I'll get you to Disney World in one piece!" boasted Launchpad McQuack happily as the helicopter we were in was currently rocking in the air turbulence we'd experienced. "Not sure about the_ chopper_ getting there though!"

We are _so_ gonna die. I was seriously regretting calling "shotgun" and grabbing the front row passenger seat for myself because I now had a front-row view of impending disaster. We even went upside down and did loop-de-loops a few times! I was clutching the sides of the seat, praying that for once Launchpad would land without crashing. Boy, and I thought I was freaked out when Turbo went hog wild at that driving school with "Newman", remember him? Anyway, _this_ was way worse because at least I know that Turbo wouldn't crash a car. Well, not on purpose anyway. Launchpad here has actually _bragged_ at being able to crash anything with wings!

Speaking of Turbs, I managed to peel my petrified eyes away from the windshield to look in the backseat to see how he was faring. Ha, yeah he wasn't too thrilled about the thrill ride, let us say. He had his hands in front of his eyes with his legs curled up in front of him as if preparing to crash any second now...which was probably a good idea now that I think about it.

The sky turned from looking like it normally does and suddenly it was like we flew through an invisible barrier of sorts, then the sky looked remarkably cartoonish. It didn't take a genius to figure out we had made it into the other realm but that's when I saw peculiar things. It was what looked to be a giant landing ramp like what airplanes and helicopters landed on and just at the end of it was this round portal. The portal reminded me of the colors of the Northern Lights all moving in a slight waving pattern kind of like the way a bubble looks when you look at it under a certain light. It was rather lovely and I was kind of entranced by it yet also a bit intimidated since I didn't know what it was.

In fact, I was focused on this strange portal thing that I forgot that Launchpad was in control of our aircraft. I think I might would've preferred shrinking down to mouse size and hitching a ride on Wilbur the Albatross from _The Rescuers Down Under. _We shakily lowered down to the platform and I squeezed my seatbelt with the best death grip I could muster. The chopper bounced a few times upon landing, throwing us all up in our seats a few times and Launchpad somehow managed to keep the darn thing straight on the platform without going off the sides of it. I thought he was going to crash into the portal there for a minute but the brakes finally activated just a few yards in front of it.

"Heh, told ya I'd get us here in one piece!" the accident-prone pilot duck announced gleefully as he hopped himself out of the chopper and headed for the portal.

I turned in my seat and saw that Turbs was still in his same position that he'd been in earlier during flight and I had to stretch out a bit to slap his foot in order to get his attention.

"Did we die yet?" he asked, separating his fingers to peek out of them.

"No and do you know what this weird portal thing is?" I wanted to know, jutting my thumb out at the said contraption, where Launchpad appeared to be fiddling with a control panel type thing.

Turbo relaxed slowly, putting his legs back on the floorboard and crossing his arms in front of him. "Oh, that's how you get to all the different worlds. You have to type in the code that gets you to the one you want and then it opens up and lets you go there."

Not that he would understand the reference, but it reminded me of how the gate in _Treasure Planet_ worked. Or maybe even that device from the _Stargate_ movie/tv show.

"Wait, so there's different worlds?" I asked with interest.

He heaved a sigh and rubbed his face a bit as if tired already. "Disney World isn't the only place that has us cartoon characters walking around. Ya got Warner Bros. and Dreamworks just to name a couple."

I had a big smile on my face. "Really? So like Looney Tunes and the Scooby Doo gang and the Madagascar cast and whoever else are all real too?" I got excited thinking about all of this. "I wonder if the Hub channel has a world? I'd love to meet the My Little Pony cast. Or Nickelodeon! Oooh, or even Studio Ghibli characters! That would be the _best_!"

Turbo looked annoyed at my rambling. "You have any idea how difficult that would be? You'd have to find someone to take you there that knows the coordinates to stick in the portal's console," he explained, pointing out to where Launchpad was still messing around.

I wasn't really paying attention because I was silently squeeing in my head at the possibility of even talking to all those multitudes of characters. There was sooooo many that I'd like to meet that it would literally take an entire lifetime to meet them all! Heck, it might take a lifetime to meet all the different Disney characters too if you wanted to actually sit down and get to know them and not just say a quick "hello". Oh you know what? I bet this is how they filmed _Who Framed Roger Rabbit?_, don't ya think? Yeah, they opened this portal thing up and let the two worlds collide together to make the movie! Ha, I feel so enlightened with all this new information.

"Well, you're a code hacker," I reminded him gently with a grin still on my face. "I'm sure you could figure out how to get us to any of those places."

Turbo initially widened his eyes at me as if he couldn't believe I'd just said that and then he lowered them back down and gave me a lop-sided grin. "Gee, some 'guardian' you are, trying to talk me into doing criminal activities."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Oh please, like I'd have to talk _you_ into doing anything illegal, Mr. Over-The-Speed-Limit."

"Fine, 'encouraging' me then." The smart-aleck grin he was wearing only increased. "You know, I think secretly you like partaking in the illegalities of life."

I gave him a flat look, all previous entertainment about the idea of new worlds having all but vanished now. "_That_ would be a 'no'."

Launchpad came back into the chopper and started it up again. "All right, kids, off to Disney World!"

Turbo was still giving me that stupid look and settled back into the seat more comfortably. "Say what you will, blondie, but deep down you're as big a risk-taker as the rest of us."

"And deep down, I say you're crazy."

"Fine, but I still stand by what I said."

"So do I."

Launchpad was saying something about going through the portal and wanted to know if we wanted to watch but we were too busy bickering to care.

"Do you always have to be so stubborn?" Turbo asked me, throwing his arms forward in my direction out of exasperation.

"I wasn't like this until _you_ moved in with me."

"Oh right, blame me for everything." He crossed his arms again and looked out the side window.

I clenched my teeth and tried to refrain from ripping my hair out. "Everything _is_ your fault!"

He glared at me upon hearing that. "Hey, _who_ was responsible for getting me back in prison?"

My neck was starting to hurt due to craning it backwards from my sitting position but I wasn't about to quit arguing _now_. "If you hadn't been a little jerk, you wouldn't have gone to prison in the _first place_."

Turbs opened his mouth to counter back but I guess he thought better of it and closed it, then resumed staring angrily out the window. Of course this didn't last long because he said, "Still shouldn't have believed that rat over me."

"Well you got your 'revenge'," I replied, using air quotes around the last word. "You choked the crap outta me and slapped me across the face so that should've made it even."

He winced when I mentioned that and I could've sworn I saw a flash of regret wash over him. "Yeah, sorry about that," he said quietly, avoiding my gaze the whole time. "You didn't deserve that."

Well, consider me blown away. I didn't even know what to say. Launchpad, who had been sitting in silence through the whole thing, at last decided to be brave enough to say something and laughed nervously.

"Haha, if I didn't know better, I'd say you two acted like one of those old married couples!"

Me and the Turbs both jerked our heads towards the large aviator duck and yelled, "_YOU STAY OUTTA THIS_!"

Launchpad gulped then shrunk his head down as if trying to disappear and concentrated solely on his flying. I would've tried to continue this little argument where we left off but that's when something out the window caught my eye and a big smile spread on my face.

"Look, it's Dumbo!" I squealed happily, turning all the way back around in my seat and leaned forward onto the dashboard of the chopper to get a better look at the flying baby elephant. "Awww, he's so cute!"

Dumbo smiled and waved at me with his little trunk then flapped his ears and took off speeding into a different direction. I heard Turbo snort with laughter in the back and I turned to glare at him.

"What kind of stupid name is _Dumbo_?" he wanted to know, shrugging his shoulders up as if the question could not help but be asked.

Now _Dumbo_ might not be my favorite movie but I'm not going to sit here and let someone make fun of the little tyke.

"You know what, why don't you find out for yourself?" I asked him with an impish smile.

Turbs facepalmed himself. "Let me guess. Homework."

"You got it."

"Me and my big mouth..."

Launchpad looked like he was trying to decide to add his two cents in or just stay quiet. Instead, I heard him mutter, "Gee, and I thought _Mr. McDee_ was a tough customer."

* * *

_EDIT: For those that don't know, Launchpad McQuack is from both DuckTales and Darkwing Duck as the clumsy pilot. "Mr. McDee" is his nickname for Scrooge McDuck._


	27. Too Much Heat

_Apple: lol, no weddings! XD (though I did "marry" him on that "marry your favorite character online" website LOL)  
_

_That Guest Person: um..spoiler? He's doing most (if not all) the official Disney princess movies...*evil laugh*_

_Poppyseed Cy-Bug: I'm making MYSELF want to go there! I wish this was an actual true account of my life lol._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"Next time we come here, we are flying with a different agency," Turbo informed me grouchily after we finally landed at the Disney World Welcome Center...which isn't quite as impressive as you think. Since not many (IF any) people ever leave this place, there's no reason for it to be all that grand. It's really just a simple drop off location. **  
**

I couldn't resist a smirk. "Well, at least you know how it feels to sit in the backseat with an insane driver at the wheel."

Turbs issued a withering glare in my direction. "You were never in any real danger, silly girl. At least I,"-he pointed at himself-,"know _how_ to drive and in the case that a crash cannot be avoided, I know how to do _that_ properly as well."

"Yeah, yeah, _sure_," I responded with a playful eye roll, then I thought of something. "Hey, how _did _Mickey and Ralph show up in the Real World anyway? I don't recall seeing any form of transportation when they showed up."

"You remember that teleportation pod we used to get back home?"

"Yeah?"

"Since Mickey is the Head Honcho around here, he has his own personal handheld version that he keeps on his person. He can use it for emergencies and anytime he might be needed at the real Disney office to talk to whatever human's running the place. It's able to transport himself and anyone that he is with at the same time."

Ah.

I gave him a sly look. "How come you know so much about this teleportation and portal-to-other-worlds stuff?"

I think he gets sick of me asking questions sometimes because he groaned a little bit and rubbed his eyes. "Because that was all I cared to learn about while I was here. I wasn't about to stick around this joint when there was other places to visit outside this dimension."

I guess it's for the same reason why some humans would rather engage in space travel to visit other planets rather than settle for simply visiting another country. Anyway, there was this bulletin board that we passed that was cluttered up with flyers, posters, notices, that kind of thing. There was one that stood out since it was new looking and brightly colored...not to mention there was like ten of them stapled all in a row. I grabbed one and ripped it off to look at it better.

"Hey, look, Turbs!" I waved the paper in his face to purposely annoy him (it's fun to do that). "Read this."

He snatched it from my fingers and silently read it. "Villain's Ball?"

"Yeah, at the end of the year."

He lowered his brow in confusion. "Why are they putting up posters _now_ for something that's not until the end of the year?"

"It's called getting a head start, silly," I told him, rapping him on the side of his helmet a few times.

He turned a little red and shoved my hand away. "Quit that!" he snapped at me before balling up the paper I had given him. "What does it matter, I'm not going to a lame dance party."

"It's more like a fancy social gathering," I corrected him, recalling the one from_ Cinderella_. The only people that had been dancing at that one had been the titular lady and her prince.

Turbo kept squishing the paper into a tight ball. "Even _more_ reason for me not to go," he grumbled, throwing it out to the side of us.

Unfortunately, at the moment that he threw it, a figure emerged from literally out of nowhere and formed out of thin air. Ah, crap! Hades, one of the coolest villains ever, was the figure that had materialized and got whopped in the eye by Turbo's little paper ball. Not good. _Not good. _The tall fiery-headed god slapped a palm over his eye and frowned deeply, his pointed teeth bared in anger.

"What the...?"

He slowly looked down on the ground and saw the cursed paper ball and he sneered at it before pointing a long finger at it and zapping it into a tiny pile of ashes. Turbo didn't seem to be paying attention since now he was curiously examining all the other random flyers on the bulletin board. I saw Hades make his trademark ANGRY face and the guy's head literally burst into flames and he _zipped_ himself right on over to where we were. I admittedly backed up a few feet because...well...Hades is freakin' scary when he's like that...even more so when you see him in person.

"Turbs!" I whispered harshly in hopes that he'd hear me.

"Geez, it got hot out here all of a sudden," he said out loud, using a hand to wipe his brow with as he continued looking at the flyers. "Then again, it could just be _me_."

Hades was boiling almost literally and before I could even say anything he had grabbed Turbo by the scruff of his suit and jerked him right off the ground, holding him at eye level so he could look at him. I couldn't see the Turbs' face but I imagine that he was rather caught off guard with this.

"Oh hey, you have yellow eyes too!" I heard him chuckle as he hung there in mid-air, kicking his feet gently as if he could will himself to swim away from his fellow villain.

I could tell Hades wasn't impressed. He lit his head on fire again and started screaming, "_DID YOU THROW A PAPER BALL AT MY FACE? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO I AM?_"

I knew Turbo was only going to make this worse...of course he had no clue who Hades was. Even though I was absolutely terrified of getting blasted into smithereens by a Greek god with a temper problem, I sucked it in and eased myself forward. You know, that would really suck to get to Heaven's Pearly Gates and have to tell the angels that I died because Disney's version of Hades incinerated me.

"Yeah, hello there, ya mind puttin' down my buddy there?" I asked with an embarrassing quiver in my voice, all my muscles tensed up just in case I needed to run really fast.

Apparently Hades hadn't noticed my presence until I said something just now. The flat look he gave me was a bit worrisome as I wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. Then he had a cocky grin formed on his face and promptly dropped my racer buddy hard on the ground, who then rubbed his backside to ease the pain from landing on it.

"Ai chihuahua!" the Lord of the Dead exclaimed as he popped up next to me and threw one of his huge arms around me. He's freakin' tall by the way, I have to crane my head up to look at him. "I gotta say, wasn't expectin' any chicks from the Real World to be gallivanting around this crummy place."

"Yeeeeeeah," I drew out nervously, wanting to inch away from him but his heavy arm on my shoulders wasn't really making that possible. "That's kind of a long story..."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Turbo finally come up with an annoyed look that I recognized all too well and he said rather firmly, "Yo, Flames, she's here with _me_."

Without even bothering to look at him, Hades just laughed and said, "Beat it, pipsqueak," and shot some fire out of one of his fingers. Luckily, Turbs had quick enough reflexes to hop out of the way though he did have a rather terrified expression on his face. I don't think he's a big fan of fire after the whole volcano thing.

I was trying to think of some safe conversation to engage in without...err...getting Hades too interested, if you know what I mean. I remember how hard he tried to get Maleficent's attention on that one episode of_ House of Mouse_. Of course, _then_ it had been hilarious.

"So anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah! So since you're not from around here, obviously, care to take a little river boat ride? It's a nice river, just ignore the screams of pains coming from the souls." He looked thoughtful for a second. "Actually, the screams are what make the boat ride so enjoyable."

Oh sweet mercy, he wants to take me down the River Styx? Heck no! Turbs was looking more and more P.O.'d. I could see him shaking from a few yards away and he had his fists curled up by him. Great, he better _not_ be thinking about punching him!

"Yeah, I'm not really into...dead things," I gulped, slowly trying to get the god's arm off me in a way that would hopefully not insult him. The last thing you want to do is insult this guy.

"Ha, you're hangin' around this loser and he _looks_ dead already," Hades tossed out with a light-hearted laugh on the end, pointing his thumb in Turbo's direction.

Oh that did it. Never insult the Turbs' appearance in front of him. Great, this is gonna be a _fun_ mess. Turbo began to storm back up to Hades and growled out,

"Who are you callin' _dead_, Needle Teeth?"

Hades snapped his fingers to encircle a ring of fire around Turbo to keep him from coming any closer to him. Poor guy made a little high-pitched "eep!" noise and threw his arms across his face to keep it from getting burned.

"Back off, zombie boy, before I make a squeaky toy outta ya for Cerberus!" Hades warned him with an edge in his voice.

I was fiddling with my hands at this point, trying desperately to think of something to back Hades off. "Um...so I thought you and Maleficent were together?" I asked him in a little voice with a nervous exaggerated grin on my face.

The smile Hades had been wearing fell slightly and at last he took his arm off me and stared off into the distance. I had to roll the joint a few times because he had given me a cramp.

"Mal _does_ like to listen to the cries of the dead," he mused to himself while stroking his chin. "But Jafar and I promised neither of us would date her after we stopped fighting over her a few years ago."

He shrugged his large shoulders up. "Oh well, I was bored anyway. Gonna go troll some people at that rehab center now."

He vanished at that and I couldn't believe it had been _that_ easy. I should've brought up "Mal" a long time ago. I wonder who all else around here is dating someone outside their own movie-verse? Oh wait, Turbo's still on fire.

"A little help here!" he was begging me in a shrill voice as he was trying desperately to make himself smaller to avoid the leaping flames.

I didn't know how exactly to put the fire out since I didn't have any blankets to smother it with or even any water. Oh hold up, there's a vending machine over by the bulletin board we had been looking at. Good thing I brought some cash with me! Why I brought cash, I don't know, habit I guess. So I shoved a few bucks in the machine to get a few bottled waters and opened them all up before tossing all the contents at once at the fire's base so Turbs could escape it. He jumped out and started slapping his pants to get a few of the tiny fires off him that had singed his suit. Fortunately he wasn't in too bad condition. Also, good thing he has extra jumpsuits at home.

"You all right?" I asked worriedly when I saw that he still had his own ANGRY face on.

"That...that _jerk_!" he spat out, clenching his teeth and throwing his helmet on the ground. "Who did he think he was!"

I grabbed his helmet off the ground before he decided to start kicking it around, then thrust it at him. "Uh...word of advice: Do not ever anger the god of the underworld."

He gave me a confused look and snatched his helmet from me. "God of the _what_?"

I sighed and wiped my hand down my face. "The _underworld_. It's where you go when you die basically."

He wordlessly shoved his helmet back on and started pacing back and forth at a brisk pace and glaring down at the cement below. "I don't care who he is, that scorching pile of crap insulted me! I do _not_ look like a corpse!"

I blew some hair out of my eyes and casually remarked, "Yeah, I don't think you look all _that_ bad."

AHHH did I just seriously say that out loud?! What...why did I say that?! (censored)!

Apparently I _did_ say it out loud because Turbs quit pacing and just sort of stared at me. I _knew_ I had to be red in the face and I felt sick to my stomach. Okay, play it off like it's cool, nothing's wrong here. It's not like I said anything _really_ crazy...like saying he was "cute" like he did to me. Not that I think he's cute or anything. Okay, he kinda is but...I'm shutting up now.

Ugh, will he quit staring at me like that! Dang it, I need to say something.

"Shut up."

I could jump off a cliff right now. That's really the best thing I could come up with? I felt my face get hotter when he smirked lightly at me.

"I didn't say anything," he informed me, keeping that smart-aleck look on his face.

Why is this happening to me? I nonchalantly brushed some hair behind my ear and looked off to the side. "Well...don't just stand there, let's get a move on."

I forced myself to go forward without so much as looking at him since I was a hundred percent sure he was still wearing that smile. I think I'm gonna puke. I feel like beating my face against a brick wall. Crap. You know what, while he's doing whatever it is he has to do for his probation deal, I'm gonna take a nice long walk around the joint until these darn stomach butterflies go extinct.

* * *

_I really hope everyone knows what movie Hades is from lol. If you don't, well...*shakes head in disappointment* *directs the unfortunate reader to Google and YouTube* lol. _

_If at anytime you don't recognize someone, it will help to look them up so you can get the most out of the chapter featuring whoever it is, otherwise you'll miss out on the full effect. I'm a little older than most people on this site (I think) so I'll be more likely to use pre-2000 characters as I'm more familiar with them.  
_


	28. More Encounters of the Disney Kind

_sereneflower: Well thank you! I know self-inserts aren't popular (I'm not a big fan of reading them either) so I'm always surprised that this one wound up getting so much attention! When I started, I was expecting maybe two or three reviews per chapter, if even that many. This whole thing started off as something I was just gonna do for kicks and giggles and then it spawned into THIS beast.  
_

_Ashuradahedgehog: Really? Wow. Wall-E is one of the few I have not seen.  
_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Thankfully, the awkwardness from earlier didn't last long because we ended up hitching a ride from Benny the Cab from _Who Framed Roger Rabbit?_ and we suffered through another insane driving session. I made Turbs sit in the front seat this time so _he_ could have a better view of the chaos before us. Of course, Benny yakking the whole time and yelling at other people that were "in his way" only made the entire trip crazier. Does _anyone_ at Disney World know how to drive _safely_?

We reached the rehab center in about eight minutes flat thanks to Benny's mad skills and I have to say I would've preferred a boat ride down the River Styx than getting back in that cab or in Launchpad's helicopter. I don't care if I have to listen to the anguished cries of the dead, it's better than being in a talking cab or a wobbly helicopter and _almost_ dying.

"If there was a way for _me_ to drive here, I would," Turbo uttered as we walked through the doors of the rehab center. "This place is gonna give me a heart attack."

"At least we made it here in one piece," I said in an attempt to think positive.

He blew a little raspberry at that. "I'd rather not come here at all."

"Too bad, too sad."

Man, this air conditioning in here feels great after all the crazy we'd been through! However, still not too crazy about the scenery of this place. The rehab center feels so...sterile. Like everything is in white and other neutral colors with lots of big glass windows everywhere so you can look outside. It feels like a doctor's office in other words, and I get enough of that type of scenery with my job so I am not very happy about being stuck in here.

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing," Turbo was griping, having shoved his hands into his pockets and slouching his shoulders forward as if he were the most bored person in the entire universe.

"My educated guess would be to see Mickey."

He let out a little growl at that. He's obviously no fan of the Mouse. I'll admit, I'm still aggravated that he threw the guy in jail as soon as he brought him back here and that he lied to me, but Mickey's not that bad of a guy. He's got a lot on his plate being the leader of Disney World so he probably was at the end of his rope when it came to our little speed demon here.

"HEY!"

We stopped when we heard a gruff voice come from literally out of nowhere and looked around only to not see anyone. I would've thought I was hearing things except Turbs heard it too, otherwise he wouldn't have been doing the same thing I was doing. We gave each other a confused look and then we heard it again.

"DOWN HERE, IDIOTS."

We looked down simultaneously and that's when I noticed for the first time that Hopper from_ A Bug's Life_ had been standing in front of us. Dang, he's so tiny! I mean, he's the size of an average grasshopper but I'm so used to seeing him on the television that I tend to forget that that's his actual size. I saw him hop up and flutter his wings so that he could fly himself up to our eye level...or rather _Turbo's_ eye level since that seemed to be who he wanted to focus on. Can we go _anywhere_ around here without Turbo getting into a mess with someone?

"You mind watchin' where you're goin'?!" he was yelling right in Turbo's face as he continued hovering in the air. "You coulda stepped on me, maggot face!"

Turbo swatted his hand in front of him to try and shoo the outraged grasshopper away. "Beat it, buggy, or I'll flick you."

Ha! It's funny because Flik is the hero of _A Bug's Life_ and Turbo doesn't know he made a joke with that and...ha...haha...ahem. Yeah, I'm gonna stand here and watch.

Hopper obviously misunderstood Turbo's threat and thought the same thing that I just did. "FLIK?! HOW DARE YOU MENTION THAT PUNY STUPID INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE ANT!"

Turbo's brow was furrowed in confusion but he didn't have time to ask for clarification because Hopper suddenly leaped himself onto Turbo's face and started trying to punch the crap out of him the best he could with his fragile little bug arms. Turbo let a little "Ahhh!" out and instinctively started trying to get the annoying pest off of him, which pretty much consisted of him slapping himself in the face due to his attacker's tiny size.

"Get off me!"

"Take back what you said, freak!"

"OW, you're pulling my eyelid!"

"I'm too small to pull anything else!"

What was I doing through all this? I was hanging out over to the side laughing my butt off! Come on, this is hilarious! I wish I had a video camera; I would be totally posting this on YouTube. This tiny grasshopper is whooping up on an average size human-ish person! Ha!

Of course I couldn't let this last forever (unfortunately) so I got a grip on myself and I let out a little whistle that sounded like a bird. Hopper instantly stopped attacking Turbo and he flew off of his face in a state of panic.

"BIIIIIIIIRRRRD!" he cried out before he buzzed off at super fast speed out of sight. (He's scared of birds FYI)

Turbo wiped his face a few times to get rid of the feeling of having a bug on him and he shuddered a few times. "Did a freakin' bug just seriously attack me? SERIOUSLY? A BUG?!"

I was trying so hard not to laugh again but I failed. I burst into hysterics again and had to sit on a bench for a few minutes. Turbo wasn't very amused at any of this.

"It's not funny, blondie!"

I wiped my eyes, secretly upset that my eyeliner was going to need fixing now. "Yes it is! You-you got eaten by a giant cy-bug and now you got beat up by a little bitty grasshopper!"

Turbo didn't say anything, which could only mean that he was not pleased with this situation. My laughter died down into chuckles and I looked up at him to see the angry face he was giving me. He had his arms crossed in front of him and was scowling down at me with narrowed eyes, one of his feet tapping slowly in frustrated impatience.

"Get a hold of yourself, I want to get this over with _quickly_ so we can go home!" he growled at me before storming off down the hall.

I quit chuckling but I still had this stupid grin on my face. I skipped up to Mr. Grumpy Pants and said, "Whatever you say, Tur_bug_."

He turned his head away from me. "Not listening to you anymore."

* * *

Anyway, I dumped Turbo off at Mickey's office where they could have a chat and do whatever it is they had to do. I would get to talk to the Mouse afterwards, so in the meantime I decided to do what I had said I was going to do earlier and take a little stroll around the place. Sigh, this place is kinda dull. When I had first heard about this place, I thought it was going to be swarming with villains. I guess they don't all get along with each other or perhaps the staff is afraid they will take over the joint if they hang out together too much or form in large groups. This place is pretty eerily quiet.

I passed by a wall that had a lot of vintage movie posters on it and then I ended up finding a large set of French doors that had been left open with a little sign post that read "The Chillin' Villains Cafe". Oh how adorable, a little cafe! I guess I could use a snack of some sort. Hopefully it's nothing gross. I walked through the doors and saw an array of outdoor seating arrangements, consisting of little round white tables that had two chairs on opposite sides of each other. Each table had a dark purple umbrella hanging over it with the cafe's logo on it. The floor and walls were constructed with a medium shade of gray stone. The cloudless blue sky burned bright above me and a gentle breeze was just enough to cool the place off.

The place was empty which I wasn't sure to be relieved or disappointed about. I have to admit that I wanted to meet some more characters but at the same time I also wanted a break from the crazy that is my life. I sat myself down in one of the chairs and was prepared to relax in silence until...awwww! Guys, it's one of the penguin waiters from _Mary Poppins_! He is so cute, I just wanna pick him up and squeeze him and take him home with me! Oh my gosh, he looks like a little plush toy only he's alive.

"G'morning, milady," the nameless penguin said to me in his soft little voice as he gave me a little bow with his head. He had a menu tucked under one wing...or would it be called a flipper since they can't fly? "It's been a while since we've had a real person for a guest."

He handed me the menu so I could look at it but I was more interested in talking to him. "Say, how did that work out with you guys working with real people? I'd have thought Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke or even Bob Hoskins would've been blabbing about the secret that you fellas were real."

"You're quite right," Penguin smiled at me, his little beady eyes squinting as he did so. "That's why everyone involved in the interaction between our worlds had their memories erased."

I stared blankly at him. "Erased?" I repeated stupidly.

"Yes," he nodded enthusiastically. "We very well couldn't have everybody knowing our secret that other worlds existed. After filming, they all had their minds erased and they were given a new memory that they had simply filmed those particular scenes in front of either a green screen or by themselves on the actual set."

"So all the 'behind the scenes' documentaries for those movies are actually fake," I deduced out loud as I let this information soak in. "But they have to do that stuff so that the general public won't catch on."

"Precisely!"

Huh. That's interesting. I wonder how they erased the memories? What kind of device is being stored around here that can do such a thing? I'll assume that our friend Mickey Mouse is in charge of that thing, whatever it is. I wonder if it's like the handheld neuralizer from _Men in Black_? Or perhaps something bigger?

Anyway, I skimmed the menu and asked for a small slice of cheesecake with a small glass of water since it was kinda warm out here. There still wasn't anyone out here so I was about ready to kick back and chill for a few minutes when I saw the chair in front of me suddenly jerk itself away from the table. Um...spooky? I perked up as there was visibly no one around to have done such a thing and I felt goosebumps form all over me, a chill going down my spine. The chair shifted a bit more and that's when I saw a pair of large yet squinted green eyes slowly appear into view, my unexpected guest making himself known as the rest of him visualized.

Oh...my...gosh. Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh. If I wasn't so dang stunned, I'd have let out the biggest fangirl scream ever known to man.

"Seeing as how you're not screaming yet, I'll either take that to mean that you're _that_ petrified or I'm just losing my touch," Randall Boggs of _Monster's Inc._ purred at me, his razor sharp teeth showing as he smiled widely at me.

Guys...you guys. Seriously. This dude here was my favorite villain for _years_. Not even exaggerating. Up until _Wreck-It Ralph_ came out, I was obsessed with this guy. I mean, I never wrote any fics about him since I never could think of anything but...wow, here he is! Right here in front of me at a cafe located at a rehab center for Disney villains. Whoever would've guessed? His purple and blue scales look downright awesome glistening in the sun like that, his long tail slightly curled at the end and flicking itself back and forth slowly like a cat's.

Ahhh, say something, stupid!

"I love you." NO, NOT THAT, SAY SOMETHING ELSE. "I mean...I love your _movie!" _I corrected myself quickly with a nervous laugh.

Can someone please just punch me in the face until I lose consciousness? I am making such a fool of myself today. I'm not normally this...idiotic.

The large chameleon-like creature chuckled and responded, "I figured most people hated my guts since I tried to hurt a child and all."

What? Does...does he seriously not realize just how popular he is within the _Monster's Inc._ fandom? Heck, most people I've met online are supporters of his like I am. I won't get into all the details because it would take the rest of my life to explain my beliefs on what was really going on in that movie, but basically I and other people are of the opinion that he's not even the real villain of the movie and that his punishment at the end was highly illegal and even uncalled for.

"Actually, there's more fan-related stuff out there about you than any of the other characters," I felt the need to inform him. "Heck, most of us _sympathize_ with you."

Randall curled one set of his front arms under his chin to prop it up on the table, the second set crossing themselves in front of his torso. "Oh? Is that a fact? I guess there _are_ some smart people in this world."

I told him my name then asked, "So..._was_ Waternoose the actual villain, or no?"

His smile widened again, all of his pointed teeth revealing themselves, which _should_ have been creepy but it wasn't. "It _is_ implied that he is the man with the plan, isn't he? He hired me to make that Scream Extractor after all, it's not like I woke up one day and said, 'You know what? I think I'll make a machine to suck the screams out of kids and ask my boss if he's down with that'."

Okay good, that's what I always thought. Me and hundreds of other people. Too bad I can't go online and be like "Hey, peeps, the real Randall Boggs told me that our theories about him and Waternoose are all correct!". I'd lose all credibility for being a sane person. Heck, sometimes I wonder if I _am_ completely sane after all this Disney stuff invading my life.

Oh here comes Penguin with my snack. I tried to give him some money but he held a wing-flipper up to signal me to stop. "'Tis on the house, miss," he told me in a polite manner of speaking.

"Aww, thanks!"

Penguin turned his attention to his other guest. "And what can I get you today, Mr. Boggs?"

"Coffee. Black."

You know, I wonder if Turbo and Randall would get along? They both have a grievance against raven-haired children, after all, not to mention they're both considered misunderstood amongst their respective fandoms. Speaking of which...

"So how does the prequel thing work?" I asked of him after taking a bite of my cheesecake...which is delicious by the way. "I mean, you're obviously in it and all of you are younger, so how did _that_ happen?"

I'm referring to _Monster's University_, which has not yet come out in theatres, where Mike and Sulley first meet each other in college. Hopefully, it's good.

"Oh, it's a complicated process," Randall was telling me with a slight eye roll. "They have to go through the trouble of rewinding us to our younger selves and temporarily erasing our memories of the first movie so we won't purposely foreshadow anything or do anything that would seem out of place. Afterwards, they reverse the process to make us into our original selves again."

Ahh. That sounds pretty interesting. Penguin showed up with his coffee and then skedaddled back to wherever he came from.

"Hey, what are you here for anyway?" I blurted out without thinking about how rude that might sound.

"Haha, that sounds like something I should be asking _you_, seeing as how you're the stranger here," he grinned in amusement before he sipped his coffee. "But, I'm here for the stupid probation thing. I'm just jacking around until I feel like talking to Mickey."

Ah. I wonder what he was here for originally. Abandonment issues, perhaps? Feelings of betrayal and not being able to trust people? Learning to deal with rejection in a healthy manner? It could be any number of things but I'm not about to pry into his personal business.

"Oh yeah? I'm here with someone on probation too," I told him instead, hoping he wouldn't ask who it was. I doubt Turbs would approve of me spreading his business around. "I'm waiting for him to get done so we can leave."

"Wait, wait, wait," Randall interrupted me, holding up all four of his hands in front of him to pause me and then relaxed all but three of them down, pointing at me with the one that remained up. "I think I heard some rumor floating around this place about you."

Oh boy, that's _exactly_ what I wanted to hear. I guess I had an alarmed look on my face because he added,

"No, don't worry, nothing bad. I just heard something about how one of us villain guys were living in the Real World with a human, I don't recall who it is. I thought it was baloney but apparently I'm wrong. At least it explains why _you're_ here."

Okay, phew, I was scared it was going to be one of those really crazy type rumors that's too preposterous to even believe.

He finished his coffee and shoved himself up out of the seat. "Well, it's time I head out. Nice meetin' ya."

I smiled at him and waved good-bye. Gee, that was really cool meeting him! Too bad we couldn't talk longer but I guess there's always the chance I'll see him again. Oh yeah, maybe I should go check and see if Turbs is done with his chat with Mickey yet.


	29. You're My Favorite

_Poppyseed Cy-Bug: oh honey, just look at the Monster's Inc. category on this website. Pretty much every story on there is Randall-centric. And he looks so adorable in the posters for the new movie :)_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I purposely took my time heading back to Mickey's office because I didn't want to get there and wind up being there too early. When I finally got there, I wished I _had _gotten there sooner. Turbo was sitting outside the office on the bench with his head down and his arms folded in front of him with this angered look on his face, just staring at the floor like he was trying to set it on fire with his mind or something. Uh-oh, something must have happened.

I cautiously approached since I wasn't sure exactly what mood he was in and sat down by him. "Turbs, you okay?"

"Do I _look_ okay?" he growled in a low voice, not bothering to move from his position. "Where the heck have you been? I'm ready to get out of here."

"I've just walking around getting some fresh air, is all," I answered him evenly, trying to keep from saying something smart-aleck to make his mood worse. "I thought Mickey wanted to talk to me, too?"

"He said you could call him later," was the snappy response I got and Turbo plucked himself up off the bench, his arms still crossed, and headed forwards.

Ooookay...I'm curious as to what put him in such a sour mood but I don't really want to pry either. I know I pick on him and get him riled on purpose sometimes, but I know better than to really mess with him when he's like this already. I sat up as well and silently walked beside him, not sure what to say. I don't like it when things get quiet like this, it's nerve-wracking.

"Did you have _fun_ on your little walk?" he finally asked me when we got to the end of one hallway and turned a corner to go down another one. He said it with a hint of sarcasm in it, like he didn't really care about what my answer would be but he felt like he needed to ask for the sake of asking. Well, I guess if he's going to attempt being social I might as well play along.

"Sure!" I replied in a casually happy tone, trying to be normal. "I found this cute little cafe and had a chat with Randall Boggs. I just wish we could've talked longer."

I saw him slightly perk up at that and barely tilt his head towards me. "_Who_?"

I shrugged lightly. "He's my favorite villain."

Turbo turned around on me so fast that if I'd blinked I would've missed it. "_WHAT_?" he bit at me, glaring hard into my eyes with his own eyes that were now glowing like mad.

I threw my hands up in front of me defensively. "I meant _former_ favorite villain!" I corrected myself quickly, shrinking back from him a bit. I was unable to hold back a nervous chuckle. "Because...you know..._you're_ my favorite."

He stood there glowering at me for one long minute and I'll admit he's rather scary when he does stuff like that. When he looks at you like that, it's like he's searching for your soul so he can rip it out and smother it to death. I held my breath through this because I wasn't sure if he was going to slap me across the face or something similar. He didn't, thank goodness, and he leaned back a bit before turning away from me and continuing our walk.

Gee, I'm having an "off day" today! I keep saying the wrong things, whether it's me embarrassing myself or just making someone mad. I heaved a silent sigh and went after Turbs, hoping he wasn't going to be like this all day...though I'm fairly sure he will be.

"Turbs?" I asked quietly, feeling sick to my stomach. "Come on, don't clam up on me. What's the matter?"

"Oh nothing," he snidely stated, having gone back to staring at the floor below him with this furious look on his face, his arms crossed tightly in front of him still. "I'm just having a crap-tastic day is all. I've been nearly killed by two crazy drivers, almost set on fire _twice_, attacked by a homicidal bug for the second time in my life, and then to top it all off, that rat Mickey told me I had to apologize to the _glitch_."

He growled that last part and his eyes narrowed even more, his anger starting to show via him trembling a bit. I guess he _has_ had a rough day. I hadn't thought about today from his point of view. I felt kinda crummy now.

"Wait, he wants you apologize?" I inquired in a curious manner. "What the heck for?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he muttered under his breath. "And then after I finally get through all of this random nuttiness, here you come bouncing along getting all fangirl about _somebody else_."

He didn't really say it like he was jealous (though I'm sure he was), more like it hurt his feelings. You know...sometimes I think he's overly sensitive about things. I think his backstory, the whole getting abandoned thing, really messes him up. That's probably why prison was such a big deal...he had become alone and forgotten about in there just like he had in his backstory.

"Hey come on, Turbs," I said gently. "You gotta understand...this place is like a literal dreamland to me. I'm seeing all these people that I've been fans of for _years_ walking around living normal lives. This is like going to Hollywood and meeting actors, only better because I didn't even know this could even be possible."

He didn't say anything for a moment, just tucked his chin down more. He finally stopped walking and commented, "You didn't get all excited when you met _me_, even though you claim I'm your favorite and all."

Sheesh. I rubbed the back of my neck while thinking of something to tell him, feeling kind of awkward standing here in an empty hallway.

"I _would_ have," I answered slowly. "But considering that I thought you were some psycho in a costume when we met, I'd say the moment got kind of ruined. If we'd met _after_ I'd found out that you Disney characters were real, I would've had a more realistic reaction and probably squealed all over the place."

He was still keeping quiet, having his head turned partially away from me. Geez, did I really hurt his feelings that bad?

"Turbs, I think you'd get annoyed if I had a 'fangirl moment' around you all the time," I said in jest, trying to lighten the mood. "We wouldn't have what we have now if we'd met under different circumstances. I like this crazy little whatever-you-call-it that we've got."

He looked so dejected that I couldn't really help but wrap my arms around him in this odd kind of sideways hug thing, one arm going around the front of him and the other going around the back and conjoining at his shoulder that was on the opposite side of me. I felt him tense up a little bit and I rested the side of my face against his shoulder, giving him a little squeeze. Normally I wouldn't be doing something like this in public but we were still by ourselves and plus he looked like he _needed_ a hug.

"I'm glad you're the one that came to live with me," I let him know quietly. "You really _are_ my favorite, not just as a villain but also in general out of _everybody_ here. I probably don't show it very often, but I really do care. I couldn't imagine you not being around."

Turbo continued being quiet but after a few seconds ticked by, he slowly uncrossed his arms enough to kind of squeeze the arm that I had around his chest. I couldn't see his face due to how I had my head situated on his shoulder but I felt him turn his head to look at me for a second or two. Then he cleared his throat and unexpectedly shrugged me off of him.

"All right, enough touchy-feely stuff, let's get outta here," he spat out as he headed off in the direction we had been going in before we stopped. A hint of a smile formed on my lips and I just sighed and shook my head at me before following him out.

"How the heck are we getting home anyway?" I had to ask.

"Please knock me unconscious so I don't have to experience it, whatever it is."

* * *

We ended up going home by hitching a ride on two of those grown pegasi from the Greek mythology segment of_ Fantasia._ I thought it was fun riding on a giant horse with wings but Turbs...I don't think he's much for heights. He had his eyes shut and his arms wrapped around that poor creature's neck like he thought he was really going to fall. Hahaha, silly man.

Anyway, I plopped him on the couch to force him to watch _Dumbo_ for his homework assignment. He had been hoping I'd forget about it but I didn't. While he did that, I decided to go to the grocery store and on the way back pick up some chocolate milkshakes to make his day end on a better looked so down in the dumps earlier that it made me feel bad. Yeah, I don't "fangirl" all over him because for the most part, I don't even really think of him as a celebrity anymore. He's just Turbs to me. Good ol' Turbs that I can hang out with and call my bud that lives on my couch. That doesn't mean he isn't special or anything, I'm just comfortable around him I guess. I know I act like I'm aggravated at him the majority of the time because he's such a pain to deal with, but there's days where I just watch him take a nap on the couch or some other random trivial activity (like playing a stupid racing game) and have a little "squee" moment to myself.

Not that I'm gonna tell _him_ that, I think it'd embarrass him to be honest. I mean, I'm sure he likes getting fan attention (the little show off), but coming from _me_? Nah. He'd think that was odd.

So I stopped at the drive-thru which had a line that would take about ten minutes to get through and decided to call Mickey up to see what he wanted. I wanted to get to the bottom of whatever it was that had Turbo in a foul mood to begin with. He answered on the third ring.

"Mickey Mouse here!"

"What the heck is this about you making Turbo have to apologize for what he did in his movie?" I dove right in, getting into my "mama bear" mode.

"Oh, hi there!" He seemed like he didn't want to talk to me. Too bad, Mouse. "G-gosh, I didn't think he'd get so upset about it. He was already clammed up and then when I _suggested _the idea to him, he went into this incomprehensible rant and then just shut up and wouldn't say a word."

If I hadn't had one hand on my steering wheel and one hand on my phone, I would've face palmed myself. "How can you possibly ask someone to apologize for who they are? He didn't ask to be written as a power-hungry sociopath! He's been doing really good trying to be a normal person and figure himself out post-movie and you want him to go up and apologize for things he basically had little control over? He wouldn't have done that crap if he hadn't been written the way he was!"

I knew I was yelling but I didn't care. I had my windows rolled up so it's not like I was bothering anyone. I was also still four cars behind in the drive-thru line.

"Now calm down," Mickey said gently in an attempt to soothe my anger. It wasn't helping. "I never said he _had_ to do it. It was just a suggestion. Most villains do it on their own terms anyway."

I scoffed at that. "Turbo's too proud to do something like that. He's managed to apologize to me a few times but he never looked particularly happy about having to say it out loud."

Maybe I shouldn't have said that. "Oh, so he _has_ apologized before," I heard Mickey respond in a manner as if he couldn't believe that it was even possible. I'll admit, I'm always shocked when I get an "I'm sorry" out of him myself.

I played it off like it wasn't a big deal. "Well _yeah_, he's not some heartless monster like people like to say he is. He's a person with complex emotions just like the rest of us."

"I _know _that," Mouse Boy interrupted me, sounding exasperated with me. Consider the feeling mutual, buster. "That's the whole point of the rehab center. Villains have more issues than anyone. We even took cues from the centers in the Real World to build this place."

"Huh, not sure if I know of any 'rehab centers' that abuse solitary confinement."

Mickey sighed and asked flatly, "You're never going to let us live that down, are you?"

"Nope." Only one car in front of me now. "Look, I gotta go. I'll talk later, bye."

I hung up on him and threw my phone in my purse, huffing a little. The very idea that the villains have to apologize for their actions! Inconceivable! Why should they? They didn't ask to be born into those roles. UGH. Large corporations are so stupid sometimes.

Anyway, I got home and _Dumbo_ had just ended, which was fine since I didn't care to watch it anyway. Turbs had turned it off when I came in and I handed him his milkshake. I tell ya, his eyes lit up for the first time that day and he smiled brightly at me. It's always nice when he does that; it makes you feel like you won the lottery because you managed to get a smile out of the grump.

"Thanks, blondie!"

I shrugged it off but I smiled back. "No problem. Gotta treat the king every once in a while, don't I?"

He rolled his eyes but it was one of the playful kinds so I didn't take offense to it. "It's about time you saw things my way," he told me as he hopped off the couch to switch the electronics around so he could play the Wii.

I had to go unload the groceries out of the car but I asked how the movie was before I left out the door again.

"You'll have to wait for the homework like everyone else," he answered me somewhat cockily.

So looks like we're gonna have to wait to see how he felt about _Dumbo_, guys. I'm sure it'll be...interesting.


	30. False Advertisement and Nightmare Fuel

_That Guest Person: I'm admittedly not much of a Mickey fan myself, for the reason you stated about the constant chipperness. I like Donald and Goofy better, as well as their families._ _Yup, Disney World is one pixie-dust covered heart of darkness lol. (And yes, the Turbs is adorable *squee* I just need a plushie and my life will be complete)_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I finally received Turbo's homework assignment, written in a notebook in his typical scrawled handwriting. It's not so bad that I can't read it and he spells everything correctly but geez...he could work on his penmanship. Then again, I'm not about to sit here and gripe about it since he seems to actually _like_ doing these darn assignments.

Anyway, without further ado...here's the essay._ *drumroll*_

* * *

_How I (Turbo) Felt About Dumbo_

_So...this movie...this movie I was forced to watch...where do I even begin?_

_I was told that this was a movie about a baby elephant that learns to fly with his freakishly giant ears. The cover of the dvd even depicts this. However, I have been lied to._

_That's right, I was LIED TO. Not only me, but all of the general public as well. Did you realize you were being lied to when you all decided one day to view this film?_

_This is NOT about a flying baby elephant. AT ALL. Um, should I even bother putting in a spoiler alert for those who haven't seen this? Actually, I don't care so if you haven't seen it yet you're just gonna have to deal with it because I'm a jerk._

_NEWS FLASH: Dumbo doesn't even fly until approximately the last FIVE MINUTES of this movie!_

_Yeah that's right. He only flies at the very end. All the promotional artwork suggests that the entire movie would have him flying around but NO. I WAS LIED TO. This is unacceptable. I am rather outraged at this. How dare you. How dare you lie to me and make me think I was going to watch one thing and then make me sit through something else entirely._

_So what IS this movie about if it isn't about a flying baby elephant? Well, it IS about a baby elephant, but not one that flies because, as I just mentioned, that only happens at the FREAKIN' END OF THE MOVIE._

_Anyway...so let me enlighten you people on what this movie is about. We start off with yet ANOTHER LIE. Why am I not surprised? We are fed the bull crap that storks deliver babies to their mothers from...I dunno, Heaven, I suppose. So all these little brats are floating down from the sky and are given to their moms at the circus. However, this one mother who happens to be an elephant doesn't get her baby and is rather sad about it._

_Lady, trust me...when all those other moms start complaining about waking up in the middle of the night to soothe their screaming child, you will be more than happy to not have your own. I'm just thankful that those little brats at Sugar Rush didn't bother me too much or I might would've just bailed on the whole mess._

_So the Mom Elephant has to board the train with the other animals to go to a new location because like I said earlier they are all in the circus and they travel alot. Oh and the train is ALIVE. Yeah it has a face and everything. I think I'm gonna have nightmares and I'm blaming YOU, blondie, if I do._

_Then we get introduced to the person responsible for Mom Elephant not getting her baby on time with everyone else's. This really DUMB stork shows up that is a disaster waiting to happen. We haven't even seen the baby yet since he's all wrapped in a blanket but I'm already worried that he might die on the way to his mom. Finally, Bozo Stork finds the boxcar that the elephants are in and..._

_Yeah, the baby's cute. Not gonna lie. I'm secure enough in my turbo-tastic manliness that I can say that a baby animal is cute._

_So the stork wants to sing it "happy birthday" and he asks the mom (who is actually named Missus Jumbo we find out) what the baby's name is, and she says...Jumbo Junior?_

_What? The kid's name isn't Dumbo? THIS MOVIE LIED TO ME AGAIN. What the freakin' heck, his name is Jumbo Jr? What is wrong with this movie, seriously, I have already gotten it into my head that his name is Dumbo and now they are telling me that I am wrong? Stop making me feel stupid, movie. Just stop._

_After singing the annoying birthday song, the elephants get rid of him and they all want to ooh and ahh over the new addition. That's when everything goes wrong. The kid sneezes and his ears, which had been tucked behind him up until this point, go POP and they fly out behind him like wings. They're about as big as the rest of his body, if not BIGGER._

_How does everyone react to this? Like it's the worst thing in the world! The elephants, minus Missus Jumbo of course, start making fun of him! Who the heck is sadistic enough to insult a newborn baby? Even I'M not that messed up. And he's not even ugly, he's drawn to look sickeningly adorable._

_Oh this is where the "Dumbo" name comes from, they start calling him that as a cruel nickname because his ears make him look "dumb". Gee, this movie is CRUEL. And they call him that the entire rest of the film, by the way. They never say his real name EVER again._

_Well you know what? I'm not gonna sit here and keep calling the kid an insulting nickname when he has a REAL name. That's right. So from now on for the rest of this essay, I'm going to call him J.J. Because that's his initials. Jumbo Junior. J.J. Sounds better anyway._

_I know I call Vanello-puke "the glitch" but after our movie-verse reset, I remember her calling me "Turbutt" so that pretty much ruined any chance of me calling her by her real name ever again. If she's not gonna play nice, why should I? I didn't even do anything to her after I was reset._

_So anyway, we kinda learn a little bit about how a circus is operated, with the elephants pretty much being slaves that have to raise the tent and stuff. J.J. bonds with his mother a lot, who has at this point become ostracized by the others because of her freak child. I'm glad I wasn't born like a regular human being. All the kids at school would've had a field day with my skin and eye color. Little brats._

_Things are fine and dandy with the two until the unfortunate day when the UGLIEST kid I've ever seen shows up and starts making fun of J.J.'s ears and starts PULLING them. Yeah, this ugly little punk actually goes over the safety line thing they have around the elephants' enclosure and starts physically harassing J.J. in front of his mom! What kind of stupid brainless idiot goes inside a wild animal's personal enclosure and messes with a baby in front of its mother? That's like those dummies that go inside the zoo cages to pet the "cute" tiger and end up with an arm missing._

_IDIOTS, THEY ARE NOT PLUSHIES FOR YOU TO CUDDLE. THEY ARE WILD ANIMALS AND WILL KILL YOU AND YOU WILL DIE._

_What does Missus Jumbo do through this? She reacts the way any sane person would do and does what I feel like doing myself. She grabs that kid with her trunk and starts spanking his stupid butt! I'll admit, I laughed at that part but of course that's when things go downhill again. Everyone freaks out about Missus Jumbo going "insane" and the circus people start trying to throw ropes on her to get her under control. Only this ma'am isn't having that. She freaks out more and start throwing workers around and even dunks the Ringmaster, which naturally enrages him and..._

_THEY THROW HER IN PRISON?!_

_Yeah, they throw a mom defending her baby in PRISON and even put up a sign saying that she is "mad", as in "insane" or "crazy". She was acting completely normal, what do you expect any mother to do when her child gets bullied? What is the matter with this world? Why do you people make fun of everyone that is different from other people?_

_Oh wait, I kinda did that too, didn't I? Or rather, I made everyone else do it but...moving on._

_So now J.J. is without his only friend and defender in the whole world and is left to fend for himself. Thankfully, that's when we get the only other decent character in this film and it comes in the form of a tiny mouse named Timothy. Since J.J. can't talk yet because he's too young, this dude kinda becomes his voice as well as kinda being the voice of the audience since right now I've pretty much yelled at the television a hundred times. Good thing you weren't here to hear it, blondie._

_Timothy uses the old "elephants are afraid of mice" tall tale (is that even a true trait of elephants?) to scare all the mean elephants away and he steals a peanut to try to bribe J.J. into being his friend because he feels sorry for him. This guy is a bit of a fast-talker and he manages to persuade J.J. into trusting him. Timothy tries to figure out how to get the public to accept J.J. as part of society and he overhears the Ringmaster guy talking about how he wants a new act for the show. This gives Timothy an idea and he sneaks into the dude's tent while he's sleeping and..._

_TALKS TO HIM._

_What in the name of Litwak's...seriously, the mouse can freakin' talk to the guy? How come Ringmaster can hear HIM but none of his circus animals during a performance? That makes no sense but WHATEVER this is SUPPOSED to be a movie about a FLYING BABY ELEPHANT after all. The Ringmaster ends up coming up with this idea to make a "Pachyderm Pyramid", in which all the adult elephants have to form a pyramid by standing up on top of each other...with the bottom elephant standing on a large ball._

_That seems...oh I don't know...DANGEROUS maybe? Those things weigh literally a ton each and you want to stack them on top of each like a game of Jenga with the base of the whole thing being a round ball?! Are you INSANE, dude?_

_Anyway, the point of this was to get J.J. into a circus act so that people would warm up to his natural adorable charm and he was supposed to be the elephant that goes on the very top and waves a little flag at everyone. Unfortunately, he trips over his ears and misses where he was supposed to go to and slams right into the bottom elephant that is balanced on the ball. This sends ALL the elephants into a frenzy and the entire pyramid collapses, causing the audience to run out of the tent in a panic as the tent collapses on itself._

_What happens after this? J.J. is forced to become a CLOWN. Yeah, they force him to become part of the clowns' act by putting this stupid baby bib on him and put him at the top of a BURNING BUILDING. Um...animal endangerment much? Isn't that ILLEGAL? The stupid firefighter clowns of course screw up the "rescue the baby" act and at the end of it, J.J. has to fall into a vat of what looks like whipped cream and gets laughed at, making him more miserable than he already was to begin with._

_Blondie, I know you have this fear of clowns thing and I can kinda see why. These things are freaky. I don't find them funny in the least. The fact that they have smiles on their faces while they abuse this elephant calf is kinda horrifying. Speaking of smiling while doing terrible things..._

_That picture floating around online of me flashing a grin and a thumbs up did NOT happen. I was too focused on getting Glitchy out of my way to do something like that. Also, my teeth are not yellow, I hate that they did that to me. I have nice pearly whites, thank you. Anyway, that shot of me doing the thumbs-up and grin "at the camera" was some goofy pose I did in my bathroom mirror between scenes that I guess the "creative geniuses" in the editing department decided to merge in during that particular scene. Wait, now I think about it...how did they see inside my bathroom...and what all did they see? Okay, I'm disturbing myself, moving on._

_So naturally J.J. is depressed about all of this despite his mouse buddy trying to cheer him up and say that he was a big hit with the crowd and did a good job in his clown act. But it doesn't work so Timothy offers to take him to see his mother, who is still locked up in a very cramped box thing that has a little barred window at the top just big enough for her trunk to go through so she can pet his head and hold him._

_WHY IS THIS MOVIE SO MEAN? They're showing all these other moms getting to cuddle and hang out with their kids at night but then they have J.J. here having to deal with only seeing his mom's trunk and she can't even see him at all. That is freakin' depressing. Good job, Disney, showing us a film about a kid being forced away from his mom for simply being a good mom. That's sure to get the kids to sleep at night._

_Meanwhile, the abusive clowns are throwing themselves a party for a job well done and then start complaining about not getting paid enough so they all leave their tent to ask for a raise. Unfortunately, this results in them knocking down a bottle of champagne which empties its contents into a small tub of water outside the tent. J.J. and Timothy show up and the poor kid is crying so hard after seeing his mom that he gets the hiccups, so Timothy gets him to drink some water from...uh-oh._

_J.J. ends up chugging up the champagne water and Timothy falls into it and now...THEY'RE DRUNK?!_

_Disney...what the heck...they did NOT just go there. They actually showed a baby animal getting DRUNK in a kids' show. I...I...does this mean J.J. is Disney's first animated alcoholic? Oh for code's sake, this is ridiculous. This kid has already drank more alcohol than I have, which is none. And..._

_WHAT IN WALT'S NAME IS GOING ON NOW? Just...what...what is this? What IS this? There's...pink elephants? What the...they're so drunk they're hallucinating these nightmarish elephant apparitions...I can't...I can't even explain what I'm looking at. Kids WATCHED this stuff? Dear Walt, I'm gonna have nightmares for sure now! This is worse than that Jason movie and that had BLOOD in it! What kind of acid trip is this? I mean, it's definitely creative but...holy codes._

_If THAT is what happens after chugging down some champagne, I never want to touch the stuff. NEVER._

_Anyway, after they survive their multi-colored surreal pachyderm nightmare, the duo wakes up...in a tree? Huh, that's odd, how did they get up there? A bunch of crows show up and start messing with them and Timothy comes to the conclusion that J.J. used his big ears to fly them up the tree. Naturally, the crows all make fun of this notion saying it is the most ridiculous thing they ever heard and J.J. doesn't seem to buy it either._

_The crows, still thinking Timothy is off his rocker, pull one of their tail feathers out and tells him that it is a "magic feather" that will help him fly. Timothy thinks this will be something to trick J.J. into giving him a confidence boost into flying again. Does it work._

_YES of course it works! The kid starts flapping his ears and flying like an eagle through the sky with the crows and everyone's in total shock and excitement over this. Except me, because I already knew this was going to happen thanks to the DVD COVER ART. It's about time he starts flying around._

_So Timothy comes up with an idea to get back at J.J.'s tormentors and show everyone that he's hot stuff. They're doing the stupid clown act again where J.J. has to leap from the top of a burning building and land in a vat of whipped cream like stuff. Timothy's riding along in his spot in J.J.'s hat and tells him to use the magic feather to fly, but unfortunately he loses it during the fall. J.J. loses his confidence thinking that he can't fly anymore but the mouse starts freaking out and begging him to open his ears and that he didn't need the feather in the first place._

_And wah-lah, the kid starts soaring through the entire circus tent and dazzling the audience with his newfound skill. Look at that kid, he's freaking all the clowns out and chasing after people and shooting peanuts at those other mean elephants like a little machine gun! Good for him, those jerk-offs deserved it._

_After he gets his revenge, J.J. is catapulted into world-wide stardom with Timothy as his manager. How that works, I dunno, but at least the guy gets some recognition. J.J.'s mother is freed from her imprisonment and the two of them get their very own private car at the end of the train. Oh and everyone is nice to them now. Yeah, now that he's FAMOUS, they're all gonna be nice to him. But whatever, I guess the point is that he got his happy ending and got reunited with his mom and made a good friend that actually cared about him the whole time._

_For only being barely over an hour long, at least this movie had a plot line and a main character that we can care about. You can't help but feel bad for the kid. Not sure if this was enjoyable to watch since the entire film consists of people being abusive to him. He only had two people in the world that gave a crap about him but they all three came out on top in the end, so at least we got a rewarding happy ending. _

_This movie's weird. J.J. finally starts flying around and the movie's OVER. There's all kinds of stuff you could do with a flying elephant going on adventures but WHATEVER. And if I have nightmares about pink elephants and clowns and trains with faces on them, you will be the first to know, blondie. Not even joking. Never make me watch this again._

* * *

**_Text Message Conversation_**

Turbo:_ u read my homework yet?_

Me: _yeah...i cant believe u renamed dumbo "JJ"_

Turbo: _how would u like it if some1 always called YOU by a mean nickname?_

Me: _i guess i should b grateful u dont call me "dumb blonde" then_

Turbo: _ur not dumb so that wouldnt make sense_

Me: _aww thanks :) but anyway thanx 4 the laugh that was pretty funny 2 read_

Turbo: _glad u appreciate my sense of humor :P but its not gonna b funny when i wake u up w/ a nightmare later _

Me: _u wake me up all the time anyway so thats nothing new_

Turbo: _oh ha ha...hey whats 4 dinner im hungry_

Me: _why dont u pick up a pizza since ur out and about?_

Turbo: _why dont u just call it in for delivery so itll be there when i get home?_

Me: _b/c i dont want to pay a delivery charge. its not that difficult. PLEEEEASE?_

Turbo: _fine but only if we do what i want tomorrow_

Me: _that kinda scares me_

Turbo:_ its not that bad i promise_

Me: _im not convinced but whatever. just get the pizza. the kind we normally get._

Oh Lord, there's no telling what he wants to do tomorrow. As long as it's not bungee jumping, I guess I can handle it...unless it's skydiving._ That_ I will most certainly never do.


	31. Emotional Tug of War, Pt 1

**_WOW YOU GUYS! OVER 300 REVIEWS! :D It was nuts when I reached 200, but now 300? You all get treats of whatever you want for being turbo-tastic! And here's a super long chapter for y'all!_**

_Ashuradahedgehog: He'd probably beat it to death lol_

_That Guest Person: I always thought Mickey was a little rude to Donald, in the later years anyway. Like rubbing it in his face that he's the Big Mouse on Campus or something lol. And I know what you mean, I get crazy looks from my sister sometimes :/ I managed to convince my brother to see my POV about him though. It saddens me when I see blatant hate for him or people that make him WORSE and turn him into a pedo or some crap when there's nothing that even suggests that in the movie._

_Poppyseed Cy-Bug: shhh...we can always pretend lol. Pink elephants are the biggest WTF moment in Disney I believe XD_

_Dalek: you're awesome for leaving so many reviews in a row! XD _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I was sitting up in my bed, woozy from having just woke up, and I squinted my naked eyes at the grinning figure standing at the foot of my bed. Turbo was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and I blinked at him slowly, a flat look on my face.

"You want to go to _the gym_?" I asked him with a hint of uncertainty at the end. "I have never heard you even mention the desire to exercise in all these months of you living here."

He shrugged his shoulders, both his hands in his pockets that were part of what looked to be red gym pants and he had a white tee shirt on that had red stripes down the sides. "Nothing wrong with getting a little work out every now and then. Besides, it's a free day today so we don't have to pay. Might as well take advantage."

I heaved a sigh and flopped back into bed. "Well, have fun breaking a sweat. I'll be here snoozing."

I felt my blanket get snatched off of me and I whined a bit trying to grab it back but it was no use since it was now completely off the bed. "Stop playin' around, I'm not getting up!"

"You're supposed to do what I want today, so quit procrastinating and get your butt out of bed!"

I curled onto my side and tucked my arms and legs to me in a fetal position. "Forget it!" I argued stubbornly. "I'm not going to a stupid gym!"

"Yes, you are!"

"I don't _need_ to! I'm thin already, I don't need to lose weight!"

"Then don't lose weight, just get your heart pumping or get some muscle on ya," he replied, pulling at the hem of my pajama pants as if that was going to get me to move.

I kicked my foot to get him to stop. "Quit doing that! I'm not going and that's final!"

I buried my head under my pillow to get my point across further, hoping he'd just give up and leave me along. I guess he wasn't going to take "no" for an answer because that's when I felt the bed sink down more and a pair of arms going around my waist. My eyes popped open and then I felt my whole body getting pulled downwards and I frantically grabbed the edge of my mattress and squeezed to prevent any more motion.

"What are you doing?!" I shrieked as I tried to fight to stay on the bed, Turbs still trying to forcefully pull me off. "Get off me!"

"Not 'til you get up!" he countered back in a strained voice, both his arms around my waist so tightly that I couldn't even wiggle out of his grasp. He was practically on top of me and I was starting to get a bit of a panic attack from this, but I choked it down so I could concentrate on staying where I was.

It was like playing tug-of-war only instead of using a rope, it was my body. I had my fingers digging in painfully to the side of my mattress and could feel myself stretch out every time Turbo pulled me backwards. I tried to kick him but he was in a position that made that nearly impossible to do so that wasn't going to work. I think I've mentioned he's pretty strong despite what you might think by just glancing at him. I'm really having to work at fighting back against him here.

"Fine, just wear yourself out, because I'm _not_ getting up!" I yelled at him, steadfast in my resolution to not go to the gym. My stomach and shoulders were hurting now and I was getting more and more aggravated at this.

Instead of letting me go, he started _tickling _me. That little sneak! My eyes widened and I immediately went into self-defense mode, kicking at him wildly and trying to push his hands off, laughing the entire time.

"ST-STOP THAT, QUIT, LET GO OF ME, STOOOOOP!"

Since I had let go of the mattress, Turbs was now able to pull me completely off the bed in two quick jerks. At least he didn't drop me roughly on the floor like he _could_ have, he ended up holding me up under my arms and plopping me down on my butt as gently as possible. I had to rest for a second, keeping my legs curled up under me as I sat there panting a bit.

"_There_!" Turbo announced almost triumphantly as he stood behind me. "_Now_ you're out of bed so you don't have any excuses!"

I groaned in protest and sat there like a little kid with their legs crossed. "Why are you tormenting me like this?"

"Blondie, it's just the gym," he said evenly. "It can't be _that_ bad."

* * *

The gym...I hate the gym. It's a place where only the fittest of the fit go to show off and flaunt their perfectly toned bods, their muscles rippling under their tight sleeveless tops and glistening with icky sweat. You might think it's where unhealthy people go to get healthy, right? You are wrong. Only health freaks come up here. It's like a country club for buff athletics. It's a special type of clique and they don't take kindly to others that don't look exactly like them trying to join it.

I get that I'm petite; I weigh a whopping 110 pounds soaking wet. Still, I'm not exactly the most in-shape person either. I don't eat right and I don't exercise at all. I can't even run three minutes without getting out of breath. I was blessed with a fast metabolism so I don't have to diet. I grew up with a mom that always dieted (even when she didn't need to) so every time I think of exercise, I think of weight loss and I don't need to do that. The healthiest thing I eat is that "muscle milk" stuff I sometimes snack on. I'd say a salad was the healthiest, but I drench it in Ranch dressing so that doesn't count.

But these people here... they are the people that were most likely popular in high school, the stars of the sports team, the busy-bodies of the student gossip center. Only this isn't high school, these are grown adults and they _still _act like they did in high school which makes it even worse because they have had enough years to hone their snob skills.

I begrudgingly showed up since my oh-so-wonderful houseguest refused to let me stay in the safety of my home. Also, he forced me into his car so I had little to no choice in the matter. I glanced around the place feeling pretty stupid in my makeshift gym wear, which was just a sky blue pair of track pants and a matching fitted tee shirt. All these other freaks in this place have expensive brand name gym clothes and it's reminding me severely of high school when all the other girls had their fancy department store clothes and I had to settle for what was on sale. It's not like we were poor or anything but my mom was a bit of a sales freak so I just had to deal with it.

I had my hair twisted back in a clip since I refuse to wear ponytails in public. When you wear a ponytail, that shows your face off more, see? I'm sometimes not very fond of my face so I don't like people to necessarily stare at it, so I prefer to keep my hair down. I feel so not-put-together since I wasn't all dolled up but since I was at the gym, what was the point in getting fixed up if it was just going to mess up later?

Of course Turbo didn't understand my plight. His backstory involved him being _popular_ and some trace of that still existed in him today. He didn't have a problem with crowds or talking to people, even if sometimes he'd rather not deal with it because of his general grumpiness. He couldn't get it through his head that some people (like myself) would rather stay tucked away at home and avoid the public. Normally when we go somewhere together, it's just me and him by ourselves doing something but this was different. There was a lot of people here and I was not comfortable with it at all.

_Sigh_...I want to go home.

"Come on, you can jog around the track with me," Turbs offered, giving me a bright smile that almost made me kinda glad I came along.

_But..._

"Are you _nuts_? Last time me and you did any kind of running together, I thought my legs were going to burn off."

"We were running for our_ lives_ then." He gave me another smile. "I can go slow if you need me to."

It's_ very_ rare that he acts nice like this but I was already in a bad mood about being here so I didn't feel like putting up with him at all. He made me come here so I'm ticked off about it. I was all nice and cozy in bed and he literally dragged me to come here and has the nerve to insult me being slower than him.

"Oh, you're implying that I'm _slow_ now?" I snipped at him, my arms crossed and my eyes lowered into a glare. "Gee, thanks a lot."

I guess he didn't expect me to be grumpy about it because his face fell. "That's not what I meant."

Fine, maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe he _is_ just being nice for once and I should probably take advantage of that while it lasts. And at least I wouldn't be stuck having to find something else to do to occupy my time in this torture chamber if we just stuck together.

I was starting to consider lightening up and making the most of this when things went downhill again.

"Hey, look at that, guys! It's Turbo!"

A pack of four gentlemen showed up from out of nowhere and interrupted this little chat thing that Turbs and I were having. Oh great. Remember those cops that pulled us over when Turbo first got his car? And one of them slammed me to the ground in handcuffs? Yeah, the same stupid cops were the ones that intruded our conversation and were having a ball being reunited with our resident celebrity.

It was as if I suddenly disappeared. Seriously, am I just that insignificant that no one even bothers to say "hi" to me when they're talking to the person that I'm standing by? It's rather awkward standing here with everyone else in the world talking around me like this. Of course, I should be used to this anyway. I've had to deal with this since junior high school but it still bothers me somewhat. I'm not even sure _why_ it bothers me since I'd rather be left alone anyway. Or maybe that's just a result from being left alone all the time in the past and now I've just gotten so accustomed to it that it's considered "the norm" and my "comfort zone".

"You can come running with us!" one was saying.

"Yeah, that'd be awesome!"

"What d'ya say?"

**I. Hate. Cops.**

Turbo kinda glanced at me during this as if he wanted my input or something. I'm not sure _why_ he'd want it but whatever.

"Just _go_," I told him in a tired voice while waving my hand at him to leave. "I'm fine."

"Okay," Turbo said quietly, looking off to the side a little bit with his eyes kind of dimmed down.

If I didn't know better, I'd say he looked a little disappointed that I'd said that. Come on, really, there's no way he actually wants to _go slow_. I suck at running, I really do, and he knows that. Why the blooming heck would he want to go through the agony of running with a slow person? It drives me nuts when one of the patients at work is slower than I am and I just want to scream and kill someone out of impatience.

So off he went with his cop buddies off to the second floor of the gym where the track was located. All of them laughing and punching each other's arms and all that other guy stuff. It made me feel rather lonely since I've never had that kind of "group of buddies" experience before, not even as a kid. So now here I am doing what I didn't want to be doing: standing here alone with nothing to do.

I decided I'd be okay just walking on a treadmill that was located at the very end and away from everyone else. That way no one would bother me and I could be myself in peace and keep myself occupied until Turbs grew tired of his little field trip. Luckily, the treadmill area was on the bottom floor where I already was so I didn't have to really travel far. There was also a little sauna and steam room down here as well as a small refreshment area with small tables and chairs for post-work out recuperation.

I felt like an idiot walking in there but I figured I needed to do something besides stand around twiddling my thumbs and feeling sorry for myself that I was here by myself now. Thankfully not many people were here yet despite it being a "free day"; I had feared that would mean more people would show up but I guess no one's out and about at this time of morning.

I threw my crap down I had with me, which was my over-sized purse that had a change of clothes in it just in case and a cheap plastic water bottle that I stuck in the cup holder that the treadmill had on it. _Sigh_. I got on the thing and just started walking casually...this is so boring. I _hate_ doing this stuff. I wish I'd thought to bring my iPod with me so I could at least listen to something besides this lame "elevator music" they got playing in here. Ugh.

After about twenty minutes of this, the whole section next to me was suddenly taken up by a trio of chicks around my age or younger that looked to be close friends. They were all chit-chatting away and glancing at their nails every so often, flipping their hair about like they were at the club and not at a gym, laughing about whatever it was they were talking about, their expensive looking exercise bags plopped beside them and their fancy water tumblers with initials on them all taunting my simple bottle of Wal-Mart brand water.

Their constant chatting was really annoying me. I don't care to hear about your mom's toe fungus or how you need a shoulder massage or how your boss is "so unfair" and all that jazz. Seriously, I'm going nuts here. Just hearing all this noise beside me is making me nauseous.

The chick that's right beside me has this long flowy perfect dark auburn hair and flawless tan skin and some nice curves going on if I do say so myself. _Sigh._ I wish I looked like that sometimes. Actually, I'd _love_ to look like Carrie Underwood or Miranda Lambert. I guess I think I look pretty half the time, but most of the time I really wish I looked like a bombshell. Then again, the bombshells were always the ones that looked down on me for some reason or another so maybe I don't want to look like them so they won't try to get me to join their snob club. I'm so mixed up in the head about stuff like that.

All this thinking to myself made me lose concentration and next thing I know, I slipped and landed roughly on my stomach on the treadmill. To makes things worse, the stupid machine was still running so it ended up flying me backwards off the thing to where I'd landed awkwardly on the floor, sprawled out in a state of dazed pain with my face pressed against the floor.

Ouch...my face...ugh...pain...urg...oh, the agony...ouch...

While I laid there and tried to process the fact that I had just been assaulted by a piece of exercise equipment, I heard the unmistakable sound of...laughing. Yeah, laughing. You think I'm making this up? Bouts of girlish giggles were coming from above and to the left of me. I was able to turn my face and peer up only to see the group of stuck-up chicks that had been beside me all dying of laughter, not once losing their pace on their own treadmills.

Oh just let me die already! Can I please die so I don't have to live through this embarrassment? I don't care if they laugh at my rotting corpse on the gym floor, I just don't want to hear it anymore. So humiliating!

I felt my face turn beet red and my stomach instantly felt queasy. Flashbacks of high school gym class sweeped into the front part of my mind: coming in last in all the mandatory track races, never getting the basketball into the net, never hitting the softball, never kicking the kickball, never getting passed the ball during harmless flag football, never reaching the top of the climbing rope thing, getting a basketball _thrown into my face_.

I **hate** the gym.

Not one to stick around to continue getting laughed at, I quickly plucked my aching body off the floor and grabbed my stuff in one hasty motion, making a quick beeline for the nearest girls' locker room. I picked the shower area that was in the back and threw my stuff down and just sat in there with my legs tucked under my chin and tried to keep from letting my humiliating experience get to me too much.

I could feel my throat closing up and my face getting hotter, a headache forming already due to me not letting myself just cry it out. I bit down hard on my bottom lip to get me back to my senses and went ahead and took the longest hot shower I'd taken in a while. I'm not sure how long I stayed in there but at some point I looked at my hands and noticed I was getting wrinkles in them so I figured I'd better quit wasting the water.

I wonder what Turbo's doing, if he's still with those stupid cop jerks. Just remembering that detail made me feel sick again. I wonder if he'd rather hang out with other people than me. Then I thought: Of course he does. Why would he want to hang out with boring old me all the time that gripes at him and gives him homework to do? Of course he'd rather hang out with the cool kids. After all, its his backstory to be one of the cool kids so it's only natural that birds of a feather flock together.

The realization that eventually he was going to want to make other friends didn't really sit too well with me. Not that I don't want him to have other friends, it's just that...well...what if he figures out that I'm the lamest person in the universe and he doesn't want to do stuff with me anymore? What if he decides he's too good to live with me anymore?

The very thought of having another friend abandon me for the cool crowd only made my mood worse. Bestie is the only friend I have that has stuck with me for more than the average three years that other "friends" deal with me. It's like, I make a friend and then after a few years they just...disappear. I'd wake up one morning and that person wouldn't around anymore and it's like they were never there. I can't go through that again. It always hurts when that happens and knowing it might happen it again _really _hurt.

I felt myself almost cry again thinking all this stuff and then I forced myself to think I was being ridiculous and making a mountain out of a molehill like I always do. I'm just letting my sour imagination get the best of me, that's all.

Anyway, this place has hair dryers in it like some hotels do so I dried my hair best I could and then just flipped it back up in a clippy like I did earlier. Then to make myself feel a little better, I put a little powder on my face with some mascara and a hint of blush so I'd look somewhat put together. I looked at myself and sighed again then reluctantly dragged myself out of the locker room to face the hateful gym again. Not that I knew what to do now.

I'm going to kill Turbs for making me come here.

I heard my phone buzz so I dug around in my purse and looked at the screen. Oh, speak of the devil. New text message from his majesty.

Turbo:_ whatcha up to?_

Oh nothing, just getting my face slammed into the floor and getting ridiculed for it.

Me: _just got out of locker room. u?_

Turbo: _ha just went in. ran 3 miles!_

Dang, really? I can barely walk _one_ without having to take a break.

Me: _good job :)_

Turbo_: thanks :)_ _hey_ _wanna go check that café looking place when i get out? will only be a few minutes_

Ugh, he wants to stay here_ longer_? Well, at least it's just to grab a snack and not kill myself lifting weights or something crazy. I'm surprised he doesn't want to go with his stupid cop buddies unless they had to go to work. Some selfish little part of me was glad they weren't going to show up and I could have Turbs back to myself. I never thought I'd think that.

Me: _sure i'll go find a table. and dont take forever in the shower like u do at home_

Turbo: _i havent done that in a while if u havent noticed :P but whatever u say_

He better not take more than ten minutes in there. I hate sitting around waiting on people, especially in public. Everyone always stares at you when you're sitting down somewhere by yourself like some loser. It's embarrassing. But since I had nothing better to do, I figured I might as well just put up with it.

The little café place had junk like smoothies and other healthy stuff. Yuck. Actually, I can't say "yuck" because I've never had one but I'm not a big fan of fruit drinks anyway besides Kool-Aid which doesn't count since that's just sugar and flavoring. It has a calm relaxing ambience in pale yellows and blues with some light tans thrown in. Some fake palm trees dotted the corners of the room and there was a couple of young teenage chicks running the counter. They looked like every other stuck-up snob in this place. Figures. You probably _have_ to look like that to be able to work here. I feel like a slob in these stupid gym clothes.

After sitting there drumming my fingers along the table and looking through the pictures saved in my cell phone about five different times, I realized I'd been sitting here for twenty minutes. What the heck is _taking_ him so long? I'm seriously going to kill him for this. I feel like such an _idiot_ sitting here loitering. It's almost as bad as sitting in a restaurant waiting for your date to show up only he never does and everyone including the waiters and the other guests just stare at you like some weirdo...

...Only this isn't a date. You don't go to the gym for a date...unless you're a couple of health freaks like these people up here.

After another five minutes, I grew impatient enough to get up and go hunt for the lost puppy myself. Oh, he is gonna pay for this. Dragging me up here and then making me wait on him like this is completely unacceptable. Does he not understand the rudeness level that he is-

What. Is. This.

What is...I don't even...what _is_ this? Just what.

Remember that curvy auburn-haired chick that was on the treadmill next to me? You know, one of the ones that _laughed_ when I fell?

_That's_ the reason Turbs didn't show up when he was supposed to.

Is he serious? Is he _serious_?

Miss Priss apparently is one of those "big fans" that likes to throw themselves at their current obsession. I mean, she's really laying it on him. She's doing that thing that we chicks do when we're doing the heavy flirting, which by the way doesn't mean a dang thing. When we do all that, we're just having fun. We're not really _that_ interested in you as a person. You're just the closest fun thing available. There, secret's out.

I don't do crap like that because I tend to be rendered mute around guys I think are attractive or that I have a crush on. So seeing Miss Priss here doing that thing where she bites her lip and laughs a little too much at something that was said amd plays with the ends of her hair...I just...I...

I want to throw up. Scream. Throw up again. Scream some more. Punch her face in. Punch _his _face in for letting himself get caught in this chick's little trap and not even bothering to try to get out of it. Turbs could get out of an unwanted conversation if he wanted to, Lord knows he does it all the time. Which means...

Which means he must not mind her talking to him.

Something really crazy snapped in my head when this notion dawned on me. All I could see was **red** and my fingernails dug into my fists and I felt sick to my stomach again and I had this insane desire to...

You know what? If that's how he's gonna be, he can just go home with _her _and _she_ can deal with his chocolate obsession and trouble-making shenanigans and using up her hot water. Just forget about little ol' me waiting on him for thirty minutes and chat with the first hot thing that comes along giving him any attention. It's not like I'm anything special.

Is this how he felt when I went to hang out with Bestie? This nutty abandoned and jealous feeling? Why do I even feel like this? My brain feels like it's been left out in the sun and warped into some unrecognizable being.

This long crappy day finally got to me. Cop buddies and falling on a treadmill and getting laughed at had almost made me cry but I'd held it in. Until now. I don't know what came over me but I felt like someone just threw me into a deep dark hole and left me there. I was ticked off and down in the dumps at the same time, if that makes any sense.

I gripped my purse handle tighter and turned on my heel, storming out of the building without even being fully conscious of what I was doing. I just knew I had to get out of there and quit looking at what I had been looking at. I'm sure some people gave me funny looks when they saw me giving a death glare at the ground but I don't care about them. I felt my throat get tight and my eyes welled up. I finally got outside and found the closest bench to plop on, burying my face in my hands and started crying.

It felt nice to cry actually. Gets all the emotions out of your system. Then again, it's not like I _wanted_ to cry. No one wants to do that. Especially if you're sitting on a bench outside of a gym in tacky clothes and your hair and face isn't fixed up, and the stupid reason you're crying is because of some stupid man.

The only thing men are good for are if you just _like_ to torture yourself and deal with this type of stuff.

I don't even know why I'm so upset! I must be going insane..._that's_ it, I've finally lost my marbles! Took longer than I expected, to be honest...

I heard someone say my name amidst this little sob session I was having but I didn't bother looking up because I knew who it was. My hands were balled up into fists and were pressed against my eyes while I kept my head down towards the ground, hot tears steadily flowing down my face and giving the grass below my feet a nice little bath. My head and throat were burning from my little whatever-you-call-this...a breakdown of some sort.

"Blondie, what happened?" Turbs was asking me in an almost alarmed fashion, putting his hands on my shoulders. I could tell he had squatted down to my level because of the direction his voice was coming from.

I can't even say what's wrong because I'm not entirely sure how to say it. He'd just think I was being a stupid girl if I said anything that made it sound that I was even remotely jealous.

"Did you fall earlier?" he kept asking me, still sounding concerned. "Why didn't you tell me that, we could've left right then if you'd wanted."

My stomach sank and if my face hadn't already been red from all the other emotions I was going through, it would've been that way _now_. How the heck did he-

"How-how do you kn-know ab-bout that?" I stuttered out, refusing to pick my head up.

God, why me? This is so humiliating! Just let me die already.

"Some chick that came up to talk to me was saying something about it and then she started laughing and pointed you out saying it was you," Turbs explained to me, giving my shoulders a little squeeze. "You were walking out the door so I thought maybe something else had happened. I told Chicky to quit talking about you like that and came out here."

A large part of me felt a bit better hearing that he'd rather come check on me than keep talking to some flirty hot girl. Even though I have no idea why. I guess he's more loyal than I give him credit for.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" he was asking insistently. "Come on, say something to me."

I'm surprised he's acting like he even cares. I'd figured he'd be laughing about it but apparently I misjudged his sense of humor. I sniffed and wiped at my eyes, knowing I probably looked horrible with my mascara running.

"I'm fine," I replied hoarsely as I tried to choke back more tears.

"You're lying."

He said it like it was a fact...which I suppose it was. I_ wasn't_ fine.

"Why'd you leave anyway?" he inquired after I didn't say anything.

The reason for my hasty exit came flooding back into my mind and I ended up getting angry about it. Gah, I feel like some crazy hormonal teenager with all this bouncing back and forth between getting riled up and depressed! I'm too old for this crap!

"_Why_?" I repeated angrily, allowing my eyes to glare into his and my hands still curled up into fists on each side of my face. I was shaking from being upset and my stomach's nauseous feeling only increased. Words started spilling out of my mouth before I could really process what I was saying.

"_Why?!_ I told you I hated this place and you drag me up here to be around all these stuck-up people and humiliate myself in front of them and then I sat and waited on you for half an hour after you said you weren't going to take long and then when I finally get up to go hunt for you, you're busy chatting away with Miss Prissy-Pants and...and..." I felt tears well up again and I cast my eyes down, my voice trailing off quietly. "I...I thought you...forgot about me."

Since I was looking down, I couldn't see Turbo's face so I wasn't sure how he reacted to hearing that. I braced myself to get either scolded or laughed at for being ridiculous or even paranoid. Or heck, even do like what my ex would do and blame _me_ for him ignoring me, like it was some weird punishment thing for something I didn't even do.

But that didn't happen.

Instead, after a few moments of hesitation, I got pulled into a hug. Not a small one either, this was a full-fledged hold-me-close hug. He had both his arms wrapped around my back with one hand behind my head and his chin on my shoulder, practically crushing me. My head was rested up next to his as a result and I couldn't really move my arms in this position.

If I had been in a normal state of mind, I might would've bolted at the sudden close contact. He's only ever initiated a hug once prior to this and that was when I'd said I'd take him to get his driver's license. This was...this was different though. This felt almost...I don't know, "affectionate" seems like a strange word to use but that's what it felt like.

Actually, I have to admit it felt rather nice being held especially after I'd just had an emotional breakdown. I closed my eyes and let myself relax, trying to get my breathing into a normal rate. His hair still feels kinda damp from having been in the shower and the sun was making him feel hot but it felt nice anyway. And he always smells like some kind of faint cologne stuff, like most other guys' body wash.

"I wouldn't ever forget about you," he said as he kept hugging me to him, petting my head a little bit. "Out of all these people that talk to me and want to hang out, you're the one I go home with at the end of the day. Not necessarily because I _have_ to either. And I _was_ coming, I really was, but that girl recognized me and started talking. I'd rather talk to _you_ anyway." He said the last part in a quieter voice. "You were right when you said I'd get sick of 'fangirl moments' all the time. You treat me like a real person."

I sniffed a little and tried to get my arms curled under his which was kind of awkward to do since he was kneeling down. Huh, he'd rather to talk to _me_ than some flirty hot chick. That sounds pretty bizarre for a guy to say but I'm not really going to complain too much even if that doesn't make any sense.

"You _are_ a real person."

I guess that was the right thing to say since I got hugged even tighter, almost to the point to where I couldn't breathe. I mean, he was really close to me, I could even feel his heart beating against my chest. I felt him sigh and press his head against mine some more and...

...and we need to back this up. All of a sudden I felt kinda odd and..._bashful..._doing this "hold me" hug thing with Turbs and...well...

No. I am _not_ enjoying this. I won't let myself. Forget it.

"Can't breathe," I spat out, half-lying since I _could_ breathe just not a whole lot.

"Oh sorry!" he apologized, promptly releasing me and leaning back so I could have a little room.

I felt instant relief at having my personal space back yet at the same time I was a little disappointed, but I made myself smother that part out. I wiped at my eyes again and glanced at him. He was looking off to the side and rubbing the back of his neck a bit like he was embarrassed, then he quit and looked at me again.

"Feel better now?"

I glanced away from me since I was still feeling a little awkward. What the heck even came over me? I was fine with it a minute ago and then I just freaked out again. I must be really messed up in the head. I don't even understand myself sometimes.

I didn't say anything, I just nodded though I wasn't entirely sure if I was completely okay or not.

"You want to go home?" he asked me, pulling at my pants leg a little bit.

I rubbed my face again to try and get myself acting normal again and just nodded in response for the second time in a row. I was exhausted. It wasn't even lunch time yet and I was already wore out from today. Emotions can drain you, I'm telling ya.

We didn't say much in the car. He kept asking if I was sure I was okay and I kept nodding "yes". I wasn't even looking at him. I was all confused in my head and it was better if I stared out the window. I still felt like an idiot from earlier, not just because I fell on my face but _everything_ was making me feel stupid. All my restless thoughts from today were piled up into one big tangled mess and I wasn't in the right frame of mine to bother sorting through it to make any kind of sense out of it.

Soon as we got home, all I did was kick my shoes off and crash on top of my bed, not even bothering to cover up. I just curled up on my side with my pillow, burying my face into its fluffiness. I only barely heard Turbo say he was going out for a drive, for how long I don't know because I was in deep sleep. I wouldn't have cared if I'd stayed asleep forever.

* * *

_The rest of this will be in the next chapter, mostly from Turbo's POV to explain his thought processes and why he does things the way he does. _

_(I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written! And yes, the falling off a treadmill part is a true story, sadly enough.)_


	32. Emotional Tug of War, Pt 2

_Poppyseed Cy-bug: yeah, laughing jerk chicks were true too. A lot of what I say happened in this fic is based in part on a true story, give or take a few details. The getting slammed to the ground by cops part never happened though lol._

_Sarcastic Kid: I've been a "faceless nobody" all my life so I wouldn't know what it felt like to be popular if it ran me over in an eighteen wheeler lol._

_Jabootsy: OMG nothing like that! XD I don't really want to change the rating to T lol. And you'll have to wait and seeeeee *sing song voice*_

_That Guest Person: That whole last paragraph you wrote are definitely my biggest pet peeves. I hate ALL those things, the ships included. But since the internet is cruel (almost worse than the "real world"), I try to keep it to myself or with people that think the same way I do because I avoid conflict like the plague and don't want to get into an argument about it. Any kind of conflict makes me sick to my stomach and I'll feel like crap for like 3 days afterwards. _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**TURBO'S POV**

I'm an idiot.

I should've known better than to leave her by herself in a public place full of people that she's never been to before. She probably hates me for dragging her there. I hadn't planned on anything bad to happen. I would've been just fine walking around the track with her but she thought I was patronizing her. She gets embarrassed so easily; I can't imagine how mortified she had been when she tripped in front of everyone.

I would've either laughed it off or grumped about it, depending on what my current mood would've been at the time. But her? She always worries about what other people think about her. If she makes one little mistake, it hangs over her head like a dark cloud. She looked so miserable earlier and she still looked like that when we got home, just crawling herself onto her bed where she wanted to stay in the first place. If I let her do that all the time, she'd NEVER leave.

I know she'd rather be here where it's safe but that's not exactly living. I should know, since my post-movie life initially started out in PRISON and I wasn't allowed to do ANYTHING. That's why I like to go do a lot of different activities, to make up for lost time. Also, it helps get Blondie out of the house and do stuff that I know she'd want to try at least once but would never do it unless someone made her.

When Blondie and I first met, the only thing I cared about at the time was having somewhere to crash where that rat Mickey couldn't find me. Since I had embedded an encryption into that teleportation machine of his, I knew it would take a while for them to trace my destination. I knew upon coming here that I wasn't going to be able to fend for myself for long since things operate so differently in the Real World. I needed someone to take me in so I could have a home base for learning how things worked. And it wasn't easy having to depend on someone; I never needed anyone before and didn't like the idea of having to do so when I got here.

I didn't think too much of her when we met. I could tell within the first thirty seconds of our introduction that she was a pushover. She didn't try very hard to kick me out of her apartment when really she should've been calling the cops like a normal person. Oh, she argued and fussed and whined about it, but she caved easily. It was so simple invading her little life like a virus. She'd get bossy with me and I'd make things more difficult for her. I rather enjoyed trolling her, like using up the hot water and waking her up on purpose because I was hungry.

I didn't care about her; she was a convenient THING to me at the start. She just happened to be the first person to open her door to me and was WEAK enough to let me do pretty much whatever I wanted. I had free food and shelter, what was I to complain about? She'd always attempted to socialize me and I'd try not to let it have an affect on me but I'd humor her anyway...sometimes.

I thought she was the biggest wuss I ever met. She never liked going anywhere or doing anything and it drove me NUTS. She never has company over and she hardly has any friends. It's pathetic really. I didn't understand how someone could possibly live like this. She's actually SCARED of people, if you can believe that. A few times, I thought about packing my stuff up and finding someone more exciting to bunk with, but then I'd think that I had it made here because it was so easy to push her buttons to make her to do what I wanted.

I'm not sure when things started changing. I suppose it was around the holidays when we had to visit her family, which I wasn't too thrilled about. She was trying to be chipper about it and get me involved in stuff like she normally did when it came to Real World traditions but I wasn't too interested. Everytime something happened that would make her uncomfortable, I'd make it a point to make it worse because it was funny.

Then there'd be the few times where they'd do the whole family bonding thing and...I didn't feel like I belonged in it. I wasn't part of the family, after all. I didn't have any business being there in the middle of it. So I'd distance myself during those parts and be alone. I didn't fully understand what it meant to have a family since I never had one. I never even had any friends before. It looked like something nice to have, but I wasn't about to say that out loud.

Then Blondie said I could think of her family as mine and I thought she was just saying that because she felt sorry for me. She was being serious though and I think that's when I got it through my head that she wasn't just putting up with me because I was forcing her to, but because she was NICE. She was just honestly that nice and generous to deal with me and all my issues and annoyances.

Then there was that time she took care of me when I was sick, even though she was rather grumpy about it, but she was still concerned enough to get me to a doctor. She didn't laugh at me when I got freaked out over a thunderstorm and she still doesn't. She stood up for me when someone talked bad about me when she didn't have to. Walt knows I give her enough headaches, I wouldn't blame HER if she talked ugly about me. We'll skip over the Disney World stuff since I think we got over that for the most part.

All these things that she does for me even though I probably don't deserve it is sometimes overwhelming. I don't know how to process it at times except I know I'm grateful for it. It feels turbo-tastic to have someone CARE. Thanks to my villain status, I'm not used to having people care about me so it's kind of a new experience everytime. At the same time, I...I find MYSELF caring and...that's really hard to wrap my mind around.

I was given one purpose in life when I was born and that was to be a selfish, egotistical, conniving, manipulating, JERK. I wasn't made with the ability to care or think of other people besides myself. It goes against my very being to even think nice things about someone. It's definitely something I have to work at. I'm not supposed to like people, after all. It's...

It's DIFFICULT to have these conflicting feelings. It's almost like a virus in me trying to take over and my original format wants to fight it off, because it knows that I'm supposed to be this self-serving jerk and not someone that actually has FEELINGS and thinks NICE THINGS about people and...and actually CARE about other people.

It's easier to go back to my roots and act like I don't care. That feels more natural. However, when I take it a little too far, it makes me feel BAD. I feel like a terrible person if I act like how I was designed to act. It doesn't make any sense to me. For a while, I would get mad at Blondie (even though she wouldn't know why) because I'd blame HER for all this confusion inside my head. SHE was the one that made me think and feel all this stuff and since it's making me crazy inside, I get aggravated and annoyed at her.

Everyone always tells you to "be yourself", but...what if being yourself isn't how you want to be? What if you want to change that? And what if changing is too hard to do? What then?

Does anyone else ever have this problem?

I WANT to be a nice person, but it's so painstakingly difficult sometimes. I don't even know if I'm doing it right. That probably sounds like a weird thing to say but when you live your whole life being a selfish cad, it's really hard to change that. I know I haven't technically lived that long but I have the mentality of a thirty year old so it FEELS like I've been around that long. It's hard to explain.

I was nice today, right? I was trying to be. I hope I didn't weird Blondie out too much with that hug. She gives ME hugs when I'm feeling blue so I thought she'd like one too...okay, maybe I kinda-sorta wanted to anyway but...that's beside the point...

When I came back to life after our movie-verse reset itself, I remember feeling LOST. I wasn't sure why I wasn't dead and then it dawned on me and the rest of us simultaneously that we were all actually parts in a movie. Actors in a form of entertainment for people in the Real World to watch. It's rather disheartening to know that your life's purpose suddenly means nothing if it wasn't real to begin with...well, not real to other people anyway.

It IS real what I went through. Having all of my life stripped away and no longer having a purpose was quite a blow. I didn't know what to do with myself. Everyone else...Ralph, Felix, the glitch, EVERYONE had hope afterwards because their story would continue to go on. Heck, they're making a SEQUEL for them to be in. You know, the reason sequels are normally not as good is because we all know that it's just a movie and we don't behave as naturally as we did the first time. At least that's what I've been told.

I, however, had no purpose to life anymore. My story was done and finished. The first person I saw was Princess von Glitch and the first thing she said was, "Well hey there, Turbutt!". Yeah, that's really nice. No one knew what to do with me and I didn't know what to do with myself either. I couldn't very well live with any of them since they didn't trust me. Don't blame them. So without a second thought, they cast me into that rehab center hoping to CHANGE me to fit their little society...thinking that if I could be REPROGRAMMED into a better person, there'd be some hope for me to stay in our movie-verse and I could fit in.

They didn't want me as I was. They wanted me to be like THEM. No one asked me for MY opinion. They just made a decision for my life for me without my consent. So I went around pulling pranks on the other rehab residents and had fun for once. I didn't want to listen to anyone because they wanted me to change to fit their specifications. They didn't want me to be MYSELF.

Then I came here to the Real World and a lot of people liked me for who I WAS. Granted, it was because they thought I was a turbo-tastic villain, but it was nice being appreciated for being what I was made for. At the same time, I wondered if anyone would like me if they ever actually got to know me instead of just liking who they saw on the big screen.

Blondie's a little different. Sure, she likes the whole villain thing otherwise she'd hate my guts and...she doesn't necessarily want me to change completely into a good decent person, since that would be changing my entire persona and then I wouldn't be ME anymore. It's more like she wants me to just act NORMAL. As in, not be such a selfish jerk all the time. Be more...what do they call it? Three-dimensional? Not physically, of course, since I'm already in 3-D, but personality-wise is what I mean to say. Make me be something more than what I was made for since, apparently, I can't really DO what I was made for anyway.

I never thought her methods would work on me, subtle as they may be at times, but looking back I can see that I've definitely grown. I'm still a grouch, at times on purpose when I feel the situation calls for it, but I'm not as callous or shrewd or even bitter as I was when I first arrived in the Real World. I honestly can't believe someone would even care enough to work with me like this or even consider me a...a FRIEND.

I never had friends and I can tell you that it's nice to have one. I'm not used to the closeness so one's just fine for now. Sure there's been other people that I could consider good acquaintances but they always leave at the end of the day. Blondie's the one that sticks with me and that loyalty is pretty overwhelming sometimes. I know everyone thinks of Sour Bill as being loyal too but that was only because he really didn't give a rip. He'd obey orders from a sock monkey if given the chance.

There's some days I think about what I did in my movie-verse and feel bad about it. Not bad enough to apologize since it wasn't technically my fault I did those things. Someone wrote me to be that way and cause me to want to do those things. Why should I apologize? I had little control over my actions much like anyone else. It isn't fair...I don't like to think of it too much.

You know, even though I'm designed to have all these issues and it feels like I've been dealing with them FOR YEARS, I've only been around for a few months. Blondie though, geez...she's literally been around almost thirty years. A LOT happens in that amount of time especially in the way the Real World works. I don't know everything that's gone on with her before I showed up but I sometimes get the feeling that people haven't really treated her right. She doesn't have a problem sticking up for ME but when it comes to herself it's like she turns into this little scared child that doesn't know what to do except sit there and cry about it. Kinda like what she did today.

I've seen her cry before but I've never been the cause of it. I'm pretty sure most of what happened today had something to do with ME and that made me feel rather horrible. Funny, since before I never cared at all. It's all so confusing to me, sorting through all these emotions I've never had to deal with before. But...I don't know if I'm just fooling myself here, but there's been a few times where I question if maybe I'm starting to lo-

"Here's your order, sir!"

I jumped when the roller-blading carhop girl rolled up to my window with her stupid smiling face, thrusting one of the two things I had ordered in my face. I hadn't even heard her come up, having been lost in my train of deep thoughts. Blondie says this place works like a 1950s burger joint where the skaters come up to your window with your food but I have no idea what she's referring to since I know nothing about the '50s.

"Thanks," I muttered as I took the two items and shoved some cash at her.

"Hey, where's that girl you're always with?"

None of your business.

"She doesn't feel good," I told her instead, not bothering to look at her.

She must've gotten the hint that I didn't feel like jib-jabbing with her so she gave me my change and went away. Fine with me. I unwrapped my straw and stuck it inside my chocolate shake before sticking it in the cupholder. They mix those things so thick that you have to wait a while for it to soften up in order to drink it.

Normally Blondie will get a chocolate shake with me but I know her favorite is actually this Oreo ice cream thing. It's like vanilla ice cream with crushed Oreos in it all mixed together. It's good, but I prefer the shakes. She was having such a bad day, so I thought she'd appreciate something special.

I quietly came back inside the apartment and I could tell she was still asleep since there wasn't any lights on plus no noise. Her cat looked up at me from her spot on top of the couch and then tucked her head back down like she was bored. I tip-toed to the fridge and put the ice cream in the freezer so it wouldn't melt then inched over to the bedroom door. She still hadn't moved from her curled up position that she'd been in back when I left earlier. She must've been really exhausted from today.

I grabbed a blanket off the couch (aka my bed) before creeping into the bedroom and putting it over her as carefully as possible so not to wake her up. She had some hair in her face and I thought to tuck it behind her ear but I didn't want to accidentally disturb her when she was sleeping so soundly. I could barely smell whatever kind of bath stuff that is she uses. I think the bottle says jasmine-vanilla on it. I caught myself smiling but I didn't care.

She said I was a REAL person. That really meant a lot to hear that. A few months ago, she was still under the impression that I was entirely fictional. It's nice to be thought of as a real person and not just something that someone made up one day in their little studio when they tried to come up with a good villain idea.

You know, if Blondie were a Disney character too, we probably would've been married by now. The general rule of thumb is that the guy meets girl, then spends about three days together, then gets married. THREE DAYS. It seems rather rushed and unrealistic but that's the way it works. I've never actually met any of those "princess couples" so I'm not sure if their hurried marriages actually last or not but...

What am I even talking about? Bad guys don't get the girl. I've never heard of that happening before anyway. I don't mean someone that has the "bad" label but is actually a good person, like that warthog Wreck-It Ralph. That's different. I mean an actual villain like myself.

We don't get happy endings.

Why do I even bother being nice sometimes?

How dare she make me confused! I could feel myself getting frustrated at all this since I couldn't understand any of it. I ALMOST snatched my blanket back out of spite but I didn't. To keep myself from doing something stupid, I walked out of the bedroom and grabbed the notebook that was sitting on the end of the breakfast bar and tore a page out of it. I scribbled a note on it and then hastily slapped it with some tape to the refrigerator before busting out of there.

I need to clear my head. Few laps around MY parking lot ought to do the trick.

* * *

**"Dixie's" aka "Blondie's" POV**

I wasn't sure how long I napped but judging by the sliver of light escaping the bottom edges of my curtains, I could garner that it was around mid-day. I yawned and stretched out, my muscles sore from having slept in one position so long. I must've been really tired earlier to do that. Wait...where'd this blanket come from? Huh, I guess Turbs threw it on me after I fell asleep, no one else could have done it.

That was sweet of him. Odd, it's not often I say he does anything "sweet". And...

Oh crap! Ugh...I slept in my freakin' contacts. Great. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to wake up and see things perfectly but now my eyes are extremely dried out. Wonderful.

I crawled out of bed sluggishly since I was still a little tired and made my way to the bathroom, having to drench my eyes in saline so I could pry my lenses out. Ouch! Guess I'm wearing my glasses the rest of the day. Geez, I look a mess! My eyes are red and puffy, my hair's going everywhere, and I look like a dead person. _Sigh_.

I dragged myself outside my room to the main part of the apartment and saw that the Turbs was asleep on the couch, kind of cuddled up on his side facing the back of the couch so his face was partially hidden. Kitty was on top of him in one of her awkward positions that she gets herself in. She peeked at me and yawned before crawling off of him and jumping on top of the couch where she'd be above his head and went back to sleep.

I went in the kitchen, glancing at the clock and figured up in my head that I'd been asleep for four hours. Dang, that's a long nap! Guess I needed it.

Since I didn't want to wake Turbo up, I decided I'd just grab a Pepsi and then go back in my room and get on my laptop for a while. A scrap piece of paper with Turbo's familiar scrawled handwriting taped to the fridge stopped me from opening the door and I took it down and read it.

_Sorry you had a bad day. Got you something in the freezer._

_-T_

The "T" was of course the biggest thing on there, the bottom slanted to the right. Huh, wonder what he got-

Oh my gosh, an Oreo Blast! _Yum!_ Aww that was so nice of him, I love these things! I don't get them very often because they cost more than the other dessert items at the drive-thru. How thoughtful!

I wanted to tell him "thank you" but he was passed out still. Knowing him, he probably went out for a good drive and got tuckered out. I imagine he'll wake up starving to death so I guess I can probably fix him something later. As far as regular non-chocolate food items go, he seems fond of anything with chicken in it. Guess I could fry a few legs for dinner.

Turbs always looks so peaceful when he's sleeping, like he is now, and I can't really help but smile. I figured he'd want his blanket back so I grabbed it off my bed and threw it back on him. He sleeps like a rock so this didn't faze him any. I went and flipped his note over to the blank side and wrote "Thanks!" on the back with a smiley face on it, then folded it up and gently tucked it halfway behind his pillow so he'd see it when he woke up.

He sure was being rather agreeable today, which was kinda scary if I say so myself. He's never _that_ friendly. Sure, he has his good days but he's never went out of his way as much as he did today, which still might not seem like too much to an outsider. I reached a hand out and petted some of his hair down that was messed up, careful not to do it too hard or it'd wake him up.

He's not so bad when you think about it. Even when he's in his worst mood, it's not as bad as other people's.

I felt a tugging sensation in my heart for a few seconds before I mentally blotted it out. _No._ I'm not letting myself go through _that_. Never again. It would just ruin things.

At least, I _think_ it would.

* * *

**TURBO'S POV**

When I saw the "thanks" with the smiley face left for me when I woke up, I felt rather warm inside. That's a really strange sensation when you're not used to it. I kind of like it...but don't tell anyone.

I guess it pays to be nice (sometimes) after all. Right?

* * *

_Gotta go out of town for a few days, my sister's graduating college so I gotta show up for that! Will be back on Monday :)_

_Thanks again to everyone that reviews, follows, and faves this! _


	33. Trio of Trouble

_LoserThe: Ask and ye shall receive!_

_That Guest Person: Well, after I built up the Disney World idea in my head, I had to of course consider the sequels and why most of them aren't as good as the original. That was the best idea I could come up with, that I touched on last chapter. I'll probably have the movie characters explain it a little more since they are the ones that would know._

_Apple: Oh don't worry, he's still gonna be a big butthead :) He's never gonna stop being a grumpy pants lol_

_Poppyseed Cy-bug: yeah I dug pretty deep into his head there! I think my favorite part is him saying it was difficult for him to go against his "programming" and act like a nice person since he wasn't designed to have those qualities. And the part where he first thought of me as a "thing" instead of a person. Shows how much he changed. Just reading the first three chapters again, you can tell he's different._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a**** Time**

So there's a crazy blonde pointing a gun at my face.

Maybe I should start from the beginning...

Turbs has been avoiding me lately, for lack of a better term. It seems like he bolts out of the house before I ever wake up and stays gone driving around for_ever_. It's been like that for a week now and I have to say, I'm feeling kind of sad about it. I'm not sure _what _happened. I guess since he was so darn sweet that day I had the "treadmill incident", he decided he needed to be stand-offish for a while.

Ugh, men are so confusing! Especially _him._

I had just finished vacuuming, dusting, straightening things up and other random chores when I heard a loud authoritative knock on my door. What the heck, I _hate_ when people do that! Kitty, who had been watching me from the top of the refrigerator, spazzed out at the sudden noise and made a beeline for my bed, crawling underneath it to escape whoever had come to visit.

Not having expected any visitors or even any packages delivered by the postal service, I was quite baffled as to who could be here. I swung open the door only to have a large futuristic-looking gun pointed right in my face.

With eyes bugged out and hands up in a "I surrender!" pose, I froze on the spot, my eyes feeling crossed from staring at the end of the muzzle which was about two inches from my nose. Any other sane person might have tried to run but I was petrified! Besides, where would I run too? And the person on the other end of the gun, you ask?

"Honeybear, you said you weren't going to be hostile!" Fix-It Felix, Jr. exclaimed from his spot to the left of his wife, who was the owner of said gun.

"Just taking precautions, short stack."

Sgt. Calhoun, who I had pegged at seven feet tall, scowled at me with her piercing blue eyes that had seen more horror and destruction than anybody should have to witness. She appeared to be visually scanning me, as if she could literally read my inner thoughts and I just kept standing there absolutely terrified that she might shoot me like one of the cybugs in _Hero's Duty_. After the longest fifteen seconds of my life, she eventually relaxed her tense posture and lowered her weapon, holstering the gun to her side.

At this point, I was thinking two things at the same time. The first was: OH MY GOSH it's Felix and Calhoun! Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh, and Felix is just the cutest little thing, I wanna squeeze him to death but his wife would kill me for sure and oh man, is that Vanellope I see crawling out of the spaceship thing and coming over here? Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh someone pinch me, I'm dreaming! I'm just...just...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The second was: OH MY GOSH Turbo is going to _freak out_ if he sees them here.

These conflicting feelings of being overly ecstatic at the trio arriving at my front door and being worried about how Turbo would react when he finally came home gave Calhoun enough time to slip past my guard and enter my home. Her eyes were constantly sweeping about the area and ready to make a defensive move if she needed to. I understood that she was making sure Turbo wasn't around to try any funny business, her job obviously being to act as a guard for the two smaller members of her party.

Felix is few inches shorter than me, so I'm gonna say around five feet, and when Vanellope bounced up beside him, I mentally measured her at about four feet. She's so adorable! And creepy at the same time...look, the chibi style just doesn't look natural when you see it in person, okay? Her eyes are _huge_! And her side profile reminds me of one of the "Who" people from a live action Dr. Seuss movie...and those things creep me out. She's cute when you look at her from the front though.

"You're the lady that Turbooger lives with?" the little girl was asking me as she curiously peeked her head in past the door frame and rolled her gigantic eyes around to take in the not-so-impressive scenery. Good thing I just finished cleaning!

I heard Calhoun walk up behind me and say, "Place is clear. Safe to enter."

Before I could even say anything, Vanellope ran inside and jumped over the back of my couch so she could crash on it. "Is this his bed?" she inquired upon landing on all the blankets and pillows. "Geez, I figured he'd take over the _real_ bed."

I opened my mouth to answer something in the vein of "over my dead body", but then I felt Calhoun slap my shoulder...a little too hard...and she barked, "You have any refreshments, civilian?"

I simply nodded and pointed stupidly to the refrigerator and she went to help herself to the sodas. Felix was still standing outside the door, wringing his gloved hands as if waiting for me to say something.

"What's wrong, I don't bite," I informed him jokingly now that I was free to speak. Gah, he is _so _adorable, it's insane!

He smiled bashfully. "Well, you didn't exactly invite us in so I thought I'd just wait 'til you did."

Leave it to Felix to be the only polite one. I just waved him on in and he removed his cap before entering like a proper gentleman and joined his wife at the breakfast bar where she had taken up residence. She shoved him a soda while she guzzled hers down, almost as if she hadn't drank anything in a long time. Vanellope was making a pillow fort out of Turbo's special fluffy pillows but then she got distracted when she saw the Wii.

"Hey, is that a gaming console?" she wanted to know, leaping off the couch and crashing onto her knees on the floor. I winced when she did that, thinking she'd hurt herself, but it didn't seem to bother her any. Huh, kids. Without waiting for me to answer, since of course she knew what a gaming console was (as she was a game character herself), she said, "Ooooh, can I play a racing game?"

She started haphazardly digging around in the stack of games that Turbo had left sitting out and grabbed one to stare at quizzically. "_Grand Theft Auto_?"

Ah crap! She doesn't need to play that!

Being older, I had to crawl over the couch rather than leaping over it like Vanellope had done earlier (ahh my back) and grabbed the mature game from her hands, a huge exaggerated grin on my face. "Ha! Yeah, this one's boring!" I lied as I blindly threw it off in the corner where it smacked against the wall and landed on the floor. "Here, try _Mario Kart_!"

Her giant eyes lit up at the idea of playing a racing game as opposed to _being_ in a racing game, then her attention drifted off yet again to the chocolate pile Turbo had stashed between the couch and the wall. Yeah, believe it or not, we still have a lot of leftover Valentine chocolate...though the pile has definitely dwindled down since then.

"Sweet mother of monkey milk!" she gasped loudly as her eyes stayed fixed on the chocolate horde. "Can I have some of that, please please please _please_?"

Sweet Lord, keeping up with a hyperactive child is a lot of work! But who am I to deny a kid of having sweets when they're right there in front of her? I sighed to myself and grabbed a bag of milk chocolate hearts that hadn't been opened it yet.

"Help yourself," I offered as I handed it to her, her hands immediately snapping the bag open and digging in so she could stuff her face. I hope Turbs doesn't mind...

"Where is the little virus anyway?" I heard Calhoun ask, who didn't really sound like she was _that_ interested in the reply. I got the feeling that she already wasn't too fond of me, probably because I was housing her movie's villain. Oh well, tough cookies, sister.

"Tammy..." I heard Felix whisper, using a tone that made me think he was trying to scold her without really sounding like he was.

The ends of my hair bristled when she said that "virus" remark and I felt myself want to go into defensive mode but I had to smother it out. I don't exactly want to die by a space marine for smarting off, you know.

"He's out driving around somewhere," I answered as I tried to help Vanellope get the Wii set up so she wouldn't get her chocolatey fingers all over it.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and gawked at me in silence. I have to say, having three out of the four main characters from my favorite Disney movie staring at me in such a fashion was not the best feeling in the world. I could feel the sweat forming above my brow but I was too scared to wipe it away. Finally, Felix coughed to the side to break the silence and said, in a strained yet friendly voice,

"Oh, he has a car?"

Being in the spotlight like this is _torture_. Oh please stop staring at me like that! I feel like I'm on trial.

"Y-yes..." I replied in an embarrassing squeaky voice.

"And he comes back?" Calhoun inquired dubiously, carefully regarding me with her steely blue eyes. Dang, no wonder her men take orders from her! She's scary!

However, something inside me snapped a little bit at this behavior. I had to quit acting starstruck and deal with them like real people like I do with the Turbs.

"_Yes,_ he comes back," I responded, getting aggravated and crossing my arms as I spoke. "Obviously. If he didn't, then you people wouldn't have showed up here busting into my house like you owned the place looking for him."

I received more silence and gawking stares. Wow, this visit isn't exactly going as well as I thought it would. I had always thought that if I had ever met these guys that it would be the most wonderful thing ever. So far, it wasn't looking that way.

Vanellope broke the silence first, a big grin radiating her features. "He has a _real _car? Sweet! What's it look like? I bet it's red, huh?"

She seemed genuinely interested, which shocked me to say the least. I figured out of everyone here, Vanellope would be the one that could've cared less what Turbo was doing with his life.

I managed to relax enough to give her a real smile. "Of course it's red! What other color would he want?" I thought of something after I said that. "Hey, whatever happened to the white kart he stole from you when he was playing king?"

"Oh, _that _thing?" She shrugged like it wasn't important enough to even talk about. "I'm sure not about to drive it. It's permanently retired to its other job as being part of the throne. Which I never use since what need does a _president_ have for a throne?"

Huh. I guess she has a point. Vanellope's game started up and she went through the menu like she'd played it before even though she probably hasn't. I guess a game character naturally knows how to get through other games' menus though so I shouldn't be surprised. Turbo himself only ever needed help setting the system up and after that he was like a pro. Show off.

"So, what are y'all doing here anyway?" I had to ask, mostly directly my question to the two other adults in the room. I wanted to ask if Calhoun's ex-fiancée, Brad, was a real character as far as the movie-verse went but I bit my tongue thinking that would be considered rude. "Would've been nice to get a heads-up from Mickey or someone before you showed up."

The couple briefly exchanged confused glances which worried me. Vanellope was too focused on her game to pay any attention to what I had said, expertly getting Mario's kart to first place in no time.

"That overgrown rodent was supposed to inform you of our impending arrival," Calhoun stated in her typical firm business-like manner.

I was taken aback when I heard this. "He never said anything to _me_ about it."

She gave me a glare in response. "Well, we're not here to take a tour of your neighborhood's flower gardens. What do you _think_ we're here for?"

Heck if I know. I'm going to have to have a word with Mickey about sending people down here without prepping me for it.

Felix finally spoke up. "We just wanted to see how Turbo was faring, is all. Nothing more, nothing less."

Now it was _my_ turn to glare. "Oh, really? So after all these months you're just now curious to see if he's all right? Where were you when he was rotting away in prison? You didn't bother visiting him _then_."

Calhoun crushed her soda can with one hand, a scowl on her face. "First of all, none of us even knew he was there so don't go assigning guilt trips like hall passes."

I have no idea what that even means.

I guess I looked confused because Felix piped back up. "We weren't made aware of the prison ordeal until around the time you showed up in Disney World to become his Guardian. Even if we _had_ known about it, we still couldn't have come to visit." He started scratching his head underneath his hat. "There's an approximately six-month rule that villains aren't allowed to have visitors from their home movie-verse because it might disrupt their rehabilitation."

I wasn't sure if I bought that or not but it made sense. It _had_ been around six months since Turbs first came to live with me back in late November…wow, _six months_! Time flies, huh?

Instead of acknowledging this any further, I asked, "Where's Ralph at? Shouldn't he be here?"

Calhoun snorted a laugh. "Like that gargantuan clod could've fit in the shuttle with the rest of us!"

Vanellope turned her head enough to shout, "Hey, I'm the only one allowed to call Stinkbrain names around here!"

I am so not in the mood for hearing a shouting contest between these two.

"So Vanellope," I started off, talking in a quiet voice while she resumed concentrating on her game. "Just out of curiosity, are you…dating anyone?"

I figured if I was going to talk to the real deal, I might as well figure out which of the popular fandom ships was actually true.

She paused her game and slowly turned her head towards me, her eyes lowered and a very flat look on her face. "I'm _nine_. Dating's the last thing I care about."

Ooookay, so she's pretty much like every other normal nine year old in existence. Boy, good thing she doesn't have the internet or she might be seriously squicked at who all she gets paired up with in all the various forms of fanworks.

I thought she was either going to ignore me or shoot off something sarcastic, but then she got this lop-sided smile on her face and her eyes lit up just a tad. "Though I do kinda have a crush on someone."

All right, I'm about to hear some juicy secret straight from the horse's mouth! I leaned in so she could whisper it to me.

"You can't tell, okay?" she told me in a very serious voice.

Kids are so funny when they are trying to be adult about things. "Cross my heart, hope to die," I responded, dying to hear what she was going to say.

She flicked her eyes over to where the Fix-It couple were having some kind of conversation that we weren't able to hear. She then said very quietly, "It's Sonic."

Whatever kind of large grin I had on my face suddenly collapsed and it was replaced by a general look of bafflement. "The_ hedgehog_?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ga-doi! What other guys named Sonic do you know?"

I…I wasn't expecting that. At all. Wow. Sonic the Hedgehog is the candy apple of Vanellope von Schweetz's eye. I have heard everything now.

"Sonic?" I repeated, still not able to even believe what I just heard. I mean, not that I'm against Sonic or anything but…I half-expected her to say someone in _Sugar Rush_'s name. I wonder what the ship name for _this_ would be called? Blue Vanilla? Vanilla Blur? Road Hog? Wait, I kinda like that last one...

"Well yeah, he's super fast and he doesn't even need a_ kart_!" she beamed at me, getting all excited just thinking about it. "He just zooms everywhere and does flips and beats up bad guys and all this other cool stuff! Everytime I see him I just wanna vurp, you know? I mean I know he's too old for me and it'll never work out but-"

She didn't get to finish her thought because the sound of the front door opening made us all stop what we were doing. Ohhhhh snap. Turbo came home…and he doesn't look very happy.

* * *

_My bud Wreck-It Ralph (not the character, it's the fic author of the same name lol) asked me to spread the word on a YouTube video of his highlighting the friendship between Ralph and Vanellope (it's NOT a "ship" vid). His username on YouTube is _mrnascar49_ if anyone's interested in watching! (He does really good Vanilla Butter stories too if anyone out there likes that ship.)_

_I always feel like I don't write Vanellope well..._


	34. Two's a Crowd and Three's Too Many

_That Guest Person: Haha, well I've had since November to practice writing his persona so I hope I understand him by now! XD And yes, the little fangirl crush is adorable X3_

_jabootsy: haha I think I'd need a footstool to slap Calhoun with...and I doubt she'd give me enough time to do it lol. And ha, Miss Priss will be making a reappearance, though no locking in the bathroom :P_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

My breath was held, and I expected everyone else's was too, as Turbo stood there with one of the angriest faces I've ever witnessed on him…and I've witnessed quite a few of those. His hand was still gripped on the door knob and I could tell he was shaking, that's how mad he was.

I started thinking I maybe should've sent him a text to warn him. Then I thought that if I had done that, he never would've come home as to avoid this. Either way, this is all a big tangled up mess. I am definitely having a word with Mickey about sending these people here without my permission first. Who does he think he is?

I saw Calhoun's fingers twitch as she had her hand rested on her handgun and I feared she would really shoot him. I also feared that Turbs would turn right around and make a run for it. Vanellope's game was on pause but you could still hear faint background music. Felix looked ready to faint from the suspense. Heck, I might join him.

Turbo's eyes slowly made their way over to where Vanellope was plopped on the floor with me and the two of them had a bit of a staring contest for a while. I think I'm going to puke. This is what I had wanted to avoid…a forced confrontation with these two. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty and for a few moments I thought Turbo was going to fly over the couch and start trying to strangle the kid.

But he didn't.

After a few seconds dragged by, Turbo let go of the door handle but he kept glaring at the little girl sitting beside me. His arms were firm at his sides and even though his bottom half wasn't visible to me thanks to the couch, I'm fairly sure he had his hands clenched up into fists.

He wandered his gaze over to me, having to slightly turn his head in order to do so. "You let her _touch_ _my stuff_?" he asked in a strained growl, as if he was trying to keep from screaming his lungs out about it.

Vanellope unwisely decided to say, "I figured since you had your hands all over my castle and _stuff_ that you wouldn't mind me repaying the favor."

If she were over eighteen and if she didn't have a friend with a loaded gun at her fingertips, I would've slapped her. Then again, it's not like Calhoun's allowed to hurt me. Every muscle in my body tensed up as I kept staring worriedly at Turbo, hoping he didn't do anything stupid. Actually…you know what, if he _does_ do something stupid, I'm blaming Mickey. This wasn't cool, popping these guys over like this. Turbs was very adamant about not being ready to face any of these people yet, especially Vanellope, so this was a jerk move on the Mouse's part.

When she had said that, Turbo jerked a little bit and his eyes twitched. Oh sweet mercy, please don't go psycho on her. I don't need a battle scene in my living room.

Instead of doing or saying _anything_, Turbo very stiffly maneuvered his way past everyone (I was very concerned that Calhoun would try to stop him but she seemed to be wise enough not to touch a ticking time bomb) and went to the bathroom, slamming the door shut upon entering it.

Great. He's going to be a _joy_ to deal with.

Well, I figured I better do or say something since I'm officially in charge of the guy. At least that's what I'm sure everyone else in the room was thinking. I was honestly worried about his mental state now. There's no telling what all's running through that head of his.

I slowly rose to my feet, absent-mindedly brushing some invisible dust off my britches, and slipped past Vanellope.

"You guys might want to go," I muttered quickly as I disappeared myself into my darkened bedroom, partially closing that door to give a degree of added privacy.

My stomach was tied up in knots in the few seconds before I timidly tapped on the bathroom door, not sure how he was going to react. I didn't get an answer, which I wasn't sure was a good thing or a bad thing. I decided to go ahead and go in regardless and I slipped myself in before shutting the door behind me.

Turbs was plopped down beside the bathtub, his elbows propping the rest of him against it with his fists grabbing at his hair on either side of his head. He was breathing really hard, I guess to try and calm himself down. He had his racing suit on but not the helmet, which he'd been leaving in the trunk of his car since really the only time he wore it anymore was when he went out driving around. Old habits die hard.

He still didn't say anything and I wasn't almost too afraid to do so myself. However, he hadn't barked at me to get out yet so I was going to take this as a good sign. I pulled a clean wash rag out of the cabinet and soaked in cold water, then folded it up and gently placed it on the back of his neck, hoping that would help calm him down.

"What are they _doing_ here?" he asked in a tense voice.

I hate being the one to answer questions sometimes. "Um…they said they wanted to check on you."

"Bull crap!" he growled unexpectedly, causing me to cringe involuntarily. He started shaking again, his hands coming down to grip the edge of the tub now. "They never cared about me or else they wouldn't have dumped me in that _place_. They're here because they want to force an apology out of me!"

I crouched down on my knees so I'd be somewhat over him and without thinking too much into it, I wrapped him up in my arms in this awkward sideways position where my left arm went around the front part of his neck so my hand could rest on the opposite shoulder while my right one stayed on his back. The side of my face was rested on top of his head so that I was staring at the tub's wall.

"They never said anything about apologizing," I said quietly as I gave him a few rubs on his back and having to resist the urge to start rocking him like a baby. Geez, he was so _tense_!

"That's what they _want_ though," he kept insisting, his fingers still digging into the side of the tub like they were claws instead of hands.

I heard a choking noise come from him and I thought for a second that I might have been hugging him too tight but I realized it was him trying to keep from crying. My heart broke and my left hand let go of his shoulder and pressed itself against the side of his face while I hugged him more.

"It's not fair," he said hoarsely, sounding more bitter than angry now. "I never would have done that stuff if I hadn't been written that way. And what was it even for?" His tone gradually went from sounding bitter to almost depressed. "So people could sit down and be _entertained_. My life was nothing more than something to keep people occupied for a little over an hour and a half."

I felt completely helpless as to what to say. My hand that had been rubbing his back went up to pet the back of his head, every now and then letting my nails scratch through his hair. That's what my dad always did when I was upset about something and it usually worked.

Apparently it worked for Turbs too; I could feel his muscles relax after a few moments of this and his breathing wasn't anywhere as harsh as it was. A tiny knock on the door made him tense back and I cursed mentally. I had completely forgotten that we weren't alone in the apartment. I thought I had told them to go?

"_Go away_!" my outraged houseguest yelled out angrily.

I said "shhhh…" in a soothing manner and rubbed his back a few times before reluctantly releasing my hold on him. He stayed exactly where he was while I turned to open the door. I had to drop my head down in order to see Vanellope standing there staring up at me…which was a little spooky seeing as how my bedroom was dark and the light from the bathroom was casting a shadow over her face.

I shooed her back so I could get out of the bathroom and I shut the door behind me. "I thought I told you guys to leave?"

Vanellope held her palms up, her big eyes still visibly gleaming even in the dark. Gah, she's giving me the heebies! I hate saying that because she's so cute but…ahhh. She looks like a gremlin in the dark!

"I kinda overheard what he said," she started off, relaxing her hands down to clasp behind her back. "You think it'd be okay if I talked to him for a few minutes?"

I grimaced at the very idea. "I don't think he'd approve of that."

"I'm not gonna say anything mean to him," she pressed on, using that sweet little voice that she used in the movie when she was telling Ralph that he could come live in her castle with her. "I promise to be nice. It won't take very long."

I was pretty determined to tell her to shove off and leave the guy alone but something in my head told me that it would be a good idea to just let her do it. It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. I sighed deeply, not sure how much of what she said was going to be helpful or if Turbs would even listen to her, but I nodded once at her and then cracked the door back open.

Vanellope crept in and I stayed back behind her to block the door. Turbo hadn't moved any but he did turn his head a little when he heard someone enter the room. I could only see one of his eyes from this angle and I saw him glare at her and he threw his head back in the direction of the bathtub floor.

"What do you _want_?" he snarled at her and she ended up looking up at me.

I shrugged and gave her a look that said, "Well, _you're_ the one that wanted to talk to him so go on."

She appeared to brace herself and she had her hands in front of her playing with the strings of her hoodie. "I'm sorry we got you all upset…"

"Don't pretend like you care," he interrupted her, his head still hanging down to the tub floor. "I tried to _kill_ you, remember?"

Vanellope paused for a second before saying, "Yeah, I remember…but you don't have to apologize for it."

I hadn't expected that to come out of her mouth. Neither did Turbo. He snapped his head in her direction upon hearing that and just stared at her for a good long moment. Then he glared at her again and went back to his activity of staring at the bathtub.

"Don't mock me, kid, I'm not in the mood."

"I'm serious," Vanellope insisted, her voice going back to its normal pitch. "I don't need one and neither does anyone else. You were just doing your job like the rest of us were. It's not like it was really your idea to try to kill me anyway. It was all in the script."

Wait…what? Script?

Turbo turned his head again towards her but I couldn't accurately read the expression on his face. It was a mix of all kinds of emotions so it was hard to pinpoint one.

"Script?" he parroted, sounding confused. "What do you mean?"

Vanellope looked a little surprised and she stuck her hands inside the front pocket of her hoodie. "Gee, they didn't tell you _anything_ in that crazy rehab place, did they? We're all programmed with a backstory and personality, right?"

"I already knew that," he muttered impatiently.

I remembered him telling me that himself on the first night we ever met. We had gone to Wal-Mart to buy groceries and he had told me how animated movies actually worked. They get a backstory and a personality and then get thrown into their universe and then they just naturally go into story mode while getting secretly filmed. At least, that's the way I understood it.

"Yeah, but did they tell you that they also put the words in our mouth and directed us on what actions to do?" Vanellope wanted to know. "It's all written down in this paper book thing and they plug it all in for us to do and say while we act. It just _feels_ like it's just us doing what we would naturally do in those situations."

"Wait, hold it," I butted in while Turbo kept staring at Vanellope as if she'd just spoken a foreign language. "You mean to tell me that everything that was done and said is all scripted and the people behind all this just happen to use sentient beings to put on an act for them without their knowledge of it being fake?"

Vanellope released one hand from her pocket and she rubbed at her face. "It's kind of hard to explain…or even understand. Ralph tried to explain it to me a few times and it sounds weird every time but it's the truth."

Turbo finally said something. "So…so nothing I did…or said was…" He seemed at a loss for words. "We were just puppets on strings? None of it was real?"

"No, it _was_ real. We just didn't know that everything was predetermined…or something like that."

This new information made me kind of angry. "If that's the case, then why do the villains have to go to that rehab center? None of what they did or said wasn't their own ideas!"

"Because we all _think_ it was our own ideas," Vanellope inputted, throwing her hands out in front of her. "Even if it was all scripted, it was still real to us because it was. It really happened. It felt like our own ideas and our own actions that we were doing. The relationships are real and the consequences of our actions are real. The good guys of the films don't really have a problem coping with this because all their issues are solved at the end of the movie…which is what the movie is all about anyway. The villains though," she glanced at Turbo for a second when she said this, "they don't have anywhere to go or anything to do afterwards, especially if they die in the movie. They're still encrypted with the villain mode that they were born with, just like we're all stuck 'in character', and it's harder for them to transition into a normal life with the rest of us. Villain stories don't usually get wrapped up at the end so they have issues to deal with afterwards. No offense."

"So what's with the apologizing thing?" I had to wonder. Turbs had sunk down even further to the floor and was staring off to the side. I felt even worse for him than I did earlier. I couldn't imagine finding out that I was nothing but a puppet on a stage.

Vanellope shook her head. "That's just something that they suggest that people do because it does make some people feel better. It's only natural to apologize for something bad you did, even though technically it wasn't your idea in the first place. Like I said, it's hard to explain. Then again, you have some stuck-up protagonists that _demand_ an apology, but we're not like that in our world."

She turned herself to look at Turbo head on even though he wasn't looking at her. "We didn't want to send you away," she admitted sadly. "But we didn't know what to do with you either. You're one of _us."_ She placed her hand on her heart when she said "us". "You're part of our family. We thought you'd learn to be at peace with yourself after going through rehab since Mickey made it sound so nice. And then you could've come home and been with the rest of us like you should have been in the first place."

Turbo picked his head up to look her in the eyes, all trace of malice gone now. He still looked completely confused though and maybe even a little touched by what she had just said about family.

"You guys…think of me as…family?" he asked her as if he couldn't believe it. Heck, I know I couldn't.

Vanellope gave him a slight smile. "Well, sure. When I first saw you after the movie-verse reset, I wasn't even scared of you anymore. I was kinda glad to see you, really. I would've been sad if you'd died for real when you didn't really do anything wrong. It's like it kinda dawned on me that you were only doing your job like the rest of us were. You just got stuck doing the job that no one in their right mind would ever want to have." She paused a second before adding, "We were all pretty upset that you got thrown in prison."

He cringed at the word then said, "I think Soldier Lady out there would rather me stay there."

"Aww, that's just how she's written. She's supposed to be suspicious and tough acting around people. We're still 'in character', you know."

This was quite a lot of new information to take in. This pretty much changed everything I even knew about how things operated…heck, it changed everything _Turbo_ knew. I can't believe no one bothered to tell him that everything he did or said was scripted! It's like they were all brainwashed into leading these lives or something wacky like that. I mean, it makes sense now that I think about it for things to be scripted to go a certain way and them not even know about it until it's over with but…geez, this is messed up. Life as a Disney character is even more messed up that I thought already.

Vanellope must have thought she'd blown our minds enough for one day because she clapped her hands together and said, "_Well_! Guess I better go before Sergeant Screwball comes blazing back in here."

I held the bathroom door open for her so she could run past me. "Bye!" she threw over her shoulder, not even bothering to open the front door but instead glitching through it. That's a really cool power, I gotta say. Imagine, _never_ having to open a door. I wonder if she could see the wood particles as she went through it...

The apartment became eerily quiet after our unexpected visitors left, leaving Turbs and I alone. I know it's normally just us all the time anyway, but after you have company over and then they leave, you realize just how quiet your life normally is.

Turbs had gone back to staring blankly at the tub floor and I stepped forward and kneeled down by him again. I almost asked if he was okay but I knew that would've been a stupid thing to say. Of course he isn't okay.

"Are you going to be all right?" I quietly asked him instead, hoping that wasn't equally as stupid sounding.

He rested his forearms on the side of the tub and sighed, then rubbed at his eyes with one hand. "I think so. That's a pretty big bone to chew." He peeked over at me from the side and asked, "Did anything like that ever happen to you? Where you found out what you thought was real wasn't real at all?"

I hadn't expected a question about myself. In fact, I generally avoid them because I don't like to bring it up. But he seemed like he needed to hear that he wasn't the only one that had to deal with the whole "identity crisis" thing. I rocked back on my knees a bit so I was resting my butt on the backs of my legs and glanced down at my hands which had started wringing themselves in my lap.

"Well, it's not really the same thing," I started off, not entirely comfortable talking out loud about it. "But…I…my first boyfriend…Guy… he…uh…he kind of put on this act like he was the perfect guy and after a few years it turned out he was the biggest hypocrite I ever met. Plus there was a lot of stuff about his real life I didn't know about and it was all bad. Like _really_ bad." Cheating on me with everything that moved was only the first thing I found out. The rest of it is too painful to dredge up, not to mention how he treated me the last couple years we were together. "It was like I didn't even know him at all so I kinda went through this stage not even knowing who_ I_ was anymore since I was with him so long and I didn't know what the heck to do with myself."

_"Babe, you're so stupid about things sometimes,"_ Guy would regularly tell me if I ever acted like I wanted to break up and find someone better. _"Good thing you got me around. Anyone else would have given up on you already. I'm the only one that could ever understand you so if I were you, I'd stay put because you're not going to get any better than me. Don't look at me like that, you know I love you."_

I started feeling sick to my stomach. When you hear something like that for long periods of time, you tend to believe it after a while. "That probably sounds pretty stupid," I muttered, wishing I hadn't even said anything and keeping my head turned slightly to the side towards the door.

I jumped a little when I felt a hand on my chin and Turbs turned my face back towards him before releasing me. "Nothing anybody goes through is stupid," he told me with a reassuring smile. "And you're a smart girl for getting out of it, huh?"

I shrugged unsurely. "Yeah, I guess so." Even though it was stupid to get _into _it in the first place. If there's one thing I'd have to say to you girls out there, it's that if you are in high school or college, and some dude that's old enough to be your dad starts doting attention on you beyond your wildest dreams, run in the other direction because he's got tricks up his sleeve.

Don't judge me, he was the first guy to ever show me any attention so I ate it up like candy…_poisoned_ candy.

"You're supposed to say 'yeah, I _am_'," Turbs felt the need to correct my answer. "It's not a crime to talk nice about yourself."

How did this conversation become about me all of a sudden? This was supposed to be about Turbo's identity crisis, not my emotionally abusive ex-boyfriend.

"That's kind of hard to do..." _When there's nothing nice to say about yourself_, is the rest of that sentence.

"Well, just do like I do sometimes and think that you're the most turbo-tastic person in existence," he suggested. Then he added, "Only you put your name in there instead of mine because we already know _I'm_ an awesome person."

He's so dang conceited sometimes but I could tell by the way he said it that he was joking and I couldn't help but crack a grin and shake my head at him, rubbing at my eyes a few times.

"There, got a smile out of ya. And I was kidding, you're awesome too."

"Thanks," I told him, looking in his eyes for the first time since we started this conversation. You know, I used to think they were creepy but they're not. Okay, they are if he's glaring really hard at you but that's how it is with anyone.

Actually, despite the odd color scheme, they're rather nice...

"Hey, blondie?" Turbs glanced off to the side for a second, looking kinda antsy about something, whatever it was. "You think it'd be…_weird_ if we-"

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

We both slightly jumped at the intruding sound of the landline telephone ringing. Reality snapped back into me and I realized for the first time just how close I was sitting to the Turbs and I rather quickly got myself up.

"Hold that thought," I smiled nervously, backing myself out of the room before spinning around to go to the living room where the phone was kept.

Ooookay, you know what? We spend waaaaay too much time together. I need a vacation..._now. _I snatched the phone from the receiver and turned myself towards the window before looking down at the caller ID. Ughhhh, someone from back home. Either one of the parents or siblings. Probably Mom.

"Hello?"

_"Hello, you!"_

Oh it's Sis. Huh, that's odd. I turned around when I heard footsteps and saw Turbs trying to sneakily escape. I snapped my fingers at him and he jerked a bit, turning his head to throw an exaggerated grin at me and say,

"Just going for a drive!" He backed himself up towards the door. "Ha, yeah don't worry about me, I'll be fine!"

He bolted out of there like his tail end was on fire. What the heck...guys are weird! What is wrong with him?!

_"Um, hello, are you there?" _I heard my sister's voice ask me impatiently.

"What do you want?" I shot back grouchily.

_"Gee, no need to sound rude. I was calling because I wondered if Mother told you about us getting some of your mail."_

Why would they be getting my mail? "No, what is it?" I asked with a cocked brow.

_"Some invitation thing to your high school reunion."_

"What?" I was confused by that. "But it's only been nine years...that shouldn't be happening until _next_ summer."

_"There's some note that says one of your classmates, some guy named Manny, only has like six months to live because of some cancer thing and they wanted to do the reunion this year so he could go."_

I raised my brows up in surprise. Wow, I'm really out of the loop. Then again, I don't think I was ever in the loop to begin with. Huh, Manny, I remember him. Shrimpy little guy with dark hair and freckles. Gee, feel bad for the guy, even if we never talked in school.

I rubbed my face and inquired, "So when is this reunion anyway?"

_"This weekend."_

My eyes bugged out and I gripped the phone harder. "This weekend?!"

_"Well it was postmarked two months ago. I guess it got lost. And I also assume that since no one in your class knows your address, they just sent it here."_

Ugh...talk about making a decision last minute!

_"It says it's going to be in Jefferson, Texas since no one wants Manny to travel very far. It's not even an hour away from you."_

Jefferson, huh? I like it out there. I've thought about moving there before actually, if I were to care about leaving my state anyway. Any Texas job would make more money than anything around here. Plus, that particular town has lots of antique shops, which I love to shop at. You know what, I could use a mini-vacation for the weekend. Yeah, I could leave tomorrow on Friday and then come back sometime Sunday afternoon.

Hope Turbs doesn't mind...or rather, hope he can handle being alone here at the apartment by himself for a couple days. Ahh, who am I kidding. He's probably dying for some alone time!

"Well, Sis, guess I'm going on a vacation."

_"I'm jealous."_

* * *

_PS If you haven't voted on my poll yet, it's still open! I'm gonna close it sometime this week. _


	35. Day One Without the Other

_Guest: lol I can only write so fast! XD Some days I don't have time to write at all!_

_Dalek: He was going to ask if I thought it'd be weird if we were to be a couple, since people joke about it all the time anyway._

_That Guest Person: lol I'd never hit a kid. That's why I said if she were 18...I've been in my share of scraps before and I'm pretty sure she could fight back lol._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"But...we were supposed to go to the movies this weekend."

I immediately felt sick to my stomach. Ahh, I can't believe I forgot about that! We were supposed to go see the new Iron Man movie tomorrow. I guess Turbs could tell by the guilty look on my face that I had in fact forgotten. He was already sitting on the couch and he turned his head away from me and glared at the currently turned-off television, crossing his arms across his chest. _Great._

"Aww come on, Turbs, don't be like that," I tried to reason with him. "We can still go Sunday after I come home."

He didn't say anything or even move. _Sigh_. Fine, if he's going to act like a baby then I'm not going to stick around and deal with it. He flip-flops between acting like a normal person and then going back into "spoiled brat" mode. It's so aggravating! Though I have to admit, it probably is my fault for making him act like this since I did forget about our dat-

_NO_. It was not ever a _date_. Just a day out...with my _friend_...nothing more. I need to get out of here.

"Turbs, _please_, don't make this difficult," I was partially pleading with him, not wanting to leave with him being mad at me. "I'm sorry this was last minute and I'm sorry I forgot, okay?"

He relaxed his shoulders and turned his head just enough to barely look at me. Then he sighed and looked away again before rubbing his face. "All right, fine, I forgive you."

Phew! I went past the couch and mussed his hair up a little bit, earning a small whine of protest from him. "Thanks, Turbs, see ya Sunday! Don't forget to feed and water Kitty while I'm gone."

"Got it," he said flatly, turning his head to watch me open the door a bit.

"Oh, and if you get_ really _bored, you can do your little essays," I joked at him, not really thinking he would do it. "You can pick the movies. Oh and I'm taking my laptop with me so you can't get online and burn up the cash. Bye!"

I shut the door so I didn't get to see or hear his reaction. I felt immediately relief at being out of the apartment. I was really worried that he was going to hold a grudge. Okay well, guess I'm off to Texas now!

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

Pah! Who does she think she is! Abandoning me for a weekend and then telling me to do homework. She must be out of her mind. I have plenty of other stuff to do besides that. In fact, it'll be nice to have a few days to myself. I never get any alone time. Yeah, I think I'll drive around for a while, then play some video games, then eat and take a nap. I'll just do that 'til she comes home. Ha! Homework. Pfft. Like I'd ever get so bored that I would succumb to doing THAT.

_One Hour Later..._

My fuel tank was only a quarter full and I'm feeling too lazy to go by the gas station. None of my racing games are appealing to me right now. I need to get some new ones, I've already beaten them all and unlocked all the turbo-tastic bonuses and extras. My eyes wandered to the dvd drawer.

Nah! I'm not that desperate yet. Gonna take a nap now. Don't bug me.

* * *

**"Blondie's" POV**

Well I arrived in Texas A-Okay. Lucky for me, I saved money by going on one of those hotel websites and snagged up a deal on a room. I threw my two bags on the brown thin carpet and inspected my weekend getaway retreat. Typical hotel room: outdated large flowery bedspread that looks like it came from the '80s, bland walls with stains on them that I'm sure I don't know what to know what caused them, a fluorescent lamp that burns too bright in the bathroom, the air conditioner that always runs _too_ cold, and a corded telephone by the bed. The only thing that looks like it came from _this _century is the big flat screen television. Go figure.

But let's look at the bright side! I get a whole weekend of no responsibilities, antique shopping, and room service! And I can sleep in a bed without having to worry about getting interrupted. Yeah, this is gonna be great.

Except for the whole going to the class reunion thing. Oy. Not sure if I really want to see those people again. I heard my phone buzz and thought that surely Turbs didn't already need to be bothering me about something already. Then again...oh no, it's just Bestie.

Bestie: _what up?_

Me: _in texas for high school class reunion_

Bestie: _O.o why? we're the same age and my class isnt doing 1 til nxt year?_

Me: _special circumstances dont ask_

Bestie: _is turby-kins w/ u? ;)_

Me: _NO_

Bestie: _aww he's home alone?_

Me: _hes a grown man, he can handle it_

Bestie: _i bet u 2 will miss each other_

Me: _shut up_

I'm not gonna miss the Turbs. Nope. In fact, I won't even text him this whole weekend...unless he texts first of course. No need to be rude.

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

_Another Hour Later..._

I woke up from my nap feeling remarkably refreshed. Good naps are hard to come by sometimes. I imagine it's time for supper and-

WHAT, it's only been another hour? That means...Blondie's only been gone for TWO HOURS? This is just turbo-freakin-tastic. I'm going to lose my mind if the rest of this weekend goes like this!

My eyes went back to the dvd drawer. Grrrrr! You know what, I forgot I already wrote an essay in secret for _Lady and the Tramp_. I have the paper hiding under one of the couch cushions. Hehe. She won't ever know that I already did it a long time ago. I'm so smart. I'm glad I thought of doing that.

I wonder how many she wants me to do though? Maybe I should do an extra one just in case she expects me to have more than one done over the weekend.

I sat myself down in front of the cursed dvd drawer, my hand grasping the handle and I pulled the thing open. Wow, she organized these things in order in what year they came out in theatres. She's pretty good at that organizing stuff. She even folds my clothes when they're done drying. They always smell like lavender...

Oh right, the movies. Hmm..._Sleeping Beauty._ Ha, I bet she just sleeps through the whole thing. Easiest essay ever! That's what I call turbo-tastic!

_An Hour and a Half Later..._

Riiiiight...I was mistaken in thinking that this was only going to be about some sleeping blondie. Not MY Blondie, that is, but a different one.

So we begin our tale with what looks to be a birthday party for the new princess named Aurora. What is the point of throwing a party for a baby, she's not going to remember it. Anyway, everyone in the kingdom shows up because I guess it's been a while since they've seen a baby and forgot what one looked like. During this thing, Aurora gets betrothed to this little boy named Phillip who is a prince in a neighboring kingdom. Which means they have no choice but to marry each other later on when they are of proper age.

I think that's pretty stupid. What if you grow up and you hate each other? Marriage is supposed to be about love, isn't it? Instead, they're treating it as though it's some property exchange, just giving their kid away like a cow or something. But then, I guess since Disney couples tend to fall in love after a mere THREE DAYS of knowing each other, I guess these arranged marriage victims can just wait 72 hours and then have little hearts floating around them.

Besides getting a husband hand-chosen for her, Aurora (say that five times fast) also gets visited by three grandma-looking fairies that I'm going to call Red, Green and Blue. Red is the leader of the trio and she bestows the gift of...take a wild guess...BEAUTY. So...does that mean she would naturally have grown to be a homely looking girl if not for Red's gift? That's kinda cheating isn't it? Green gives her the gift of song...which means we're probably going to hear her sing in this movie. GREAT. It's Blue's turn to bless the brat when suddenly-

BOOM!

The Mistress of All Evil shows up! Maleficent herself, ladies and gentlemen! Even I am not stupid enough to say anything bad about this broad. She is after all considered one of the leaders of the Disney Villains...wait. Wait wait wait. THIS is the movie she's from? She's from a movie about a sleeping blondie? Are you serious? Huh. Never would've guessed. Oh well.

So Maleficent is ticked off because she didn't get invited to the baby's party. Gee, I don't think I'd be complaining, sister. I'd be GLAD if I got left off the invite list for that particular occasion. But I guess she feels the need to troll people so for punishment, she curses the kid to DIE. Yeah, and it's this kinda crazy scenario too. Basically, when Aurora turns sixteen, she will come across a spinning wheel (whatever THAT is...guess Blondie would know) and she'll prick her finger on the needle part and it will kill her. Wow that's some needle! Why a spinning wheel though? What's so special about that particular furniture? Why not just run her over with a car? Oh wait, they don't have cars yet in this time period.

Anywho, so Maleficent gets away with her strange birthday curse and disappears into thin air. I tell ya, even though I have no clue why she's so upset over not getting an invite to this thing, she definitely knows how to make an appearance. Blue decides to help ease the curse by having Aurora fall into a deep sleep when she pricks her finger and not dying...and she can only wake up with true love's first kiss. Okay is that the only way to break spells? Gah, I can't imagine what would've happened if Vanellope had needed to have a true love kiss. She's freakin' nine years old that would've been odd.

Speaking of her, I guess she isn't so bad...for a little kid. At least I don't have to apologize. That takes a lot of weight off my shoulders.

Anyway, these three fairies aren't as powerful as Mal so that's all they can do. The king orders all the spinning wheels in the kingdom be destroyed...hang on let me Google what that is...

ahh Blondie, you took the laptop! How dare you! Let me text her...

You know what? I WON'T text her. Nope. Not gonna happen. She'll think I can't take care of myself or some malarkey like that. I'll show her!

Um...let me call Blondie's Mom...no, her sister. Mom kinda scares me sometimes. Even though she's kinda hot for her age. Don't tell Blondie I said that...though by saying that, it means Blondie herself is gonna look nice when she gets that old...I'm going to have to edit this thing before I let her read this. Dear sweet Walt. Actually, let me text Blondie's Sis, that's faster...

_Five minutes later..._

Okay, according to Blondie's Sis, a spinning wheel is what they used to make clothes back then. So in that case, if they destroy all of them, how are they going to make new clothes? They can't run around naked everywhere. Apparently the three fairies see that this plan will not work so they talk the royal couple into giving their brat up and they hide her away in the woods where they all pretend to be peasants for sixteen years, even renaming the baby as "Briar Rose". Wow, what a hippie name. And I know what hippies are because of that creepy store we went in that one time.

We fast forward to sixteen years later and Maleficent is ticked because they can't find Aurora anywhere. Turns out her stupid henchmen have been searching for a BABY the entire time! They weren't taking into account that she aged at all! Gee, what morons. That's how I felt when Wynchell and Duncan couldn't find Vanellope after she got her kart. Dough-headed buffoons...

Anyway, so it's Aurora's sixteen birthday finally and the three fairies shoo her away into the woods to go pick berries so they can work on her cake and new dress. They've been having to do things without magic all these years so Aurora won't learn the truth and now that she's gone, they get a little crazy fighting over how to do things. Aurora, who has grown up to be a lovely young lady that likes to sing to her animal friends (do ALL princesses sing to the animals?!) and she tells them that she dreams of falling in love and that she has a man that visits her in her dreams...

So she dreams that the Boogie Man comes to see her? That's kinda creepy...

Meanwhile, Prince Phillip, who has grown into a handsome young man, hears her singing and eventually finds Aurora. The two of them have no clue that they are the person that they are betrothed to and never even tell each other their names. Well that was stupid. How is he supposed to call you, woman?! They fall in love pretty much immediately...not even gonna comment on the ridiculousness of that...but she freaks out for no reason and runs away to go home and says she can't see him again. Oooookay...so you just throw yourself on the first man you've ever met in your life and then run away? Why are you women so confusing?! We do not understand these games you play!

Okay on the other side of the forest, Maleficent sent her pet raven out to find Aurora instead and the bird gets distracted by the magic fight between the three fairies at their cottage. The raven figures out what is going on and flies off to alert Maleficent of what it found. How? I don't know because the bird doesn't talk. Aurora comes home and starts blabbing about this wonderful man she met in the woods...well if he was so wonderful, why didn't you at least GIVE HIM YOUR NAME. Or at least let him walk you home. Good grief! The fairies realize that they must tell her the truth and she finds out that she is actually a princess and is to wed Prince Phillip. Of course, since she doesn't know her Mystery Man's name, she believes she is marrying a total stranger and is completely heartbroken when she realizes she can never see Mystery Man again...even though she kinda told him that she couldn't ever see him again anyway.

Women. They never know what they want until it's too late.

At the same time, Phillip informs his father that he's in love with a peasant girl and refuses to hear anything his dad has to say on the matter of his betrothal. He then runs off (or rides off on his horse, rather) to go and find the girl's cottage in the woods despite her having told him to stay away. Persistent lad, isn't he? At least he's actively pursuing her instead of No-Name in Snow White's movie. That dude had just wandered up after all the work had been done and stole her away from her dwarf friends. Jerk.

So off they go to the castle! The mood is somber because Aurora believes she has to marry someone she knows nothing about, has to leave the only home she's ever known, gets slammed with the idea that she's royalty, and basically has her life go in the opposite direction that she thought it would go. I know how she feels learning the truth about life in a blunt manner such as that. It sucks.

What also sucks was getting interrupted yesterday. Stupid phone. Oh well, probably for the best. I might have freaked her out or worse, got rejected. That would've been the opposite of turbo-tastic. Besides, she had just got through telling me about some jerk ex-boyfriend of hers, that would've been stupid of me to ask if she-

Never mind.

When the heck does the sleeping blondie go to sleep anyway? Is this another one of those movies that lies to me? I'm looking at YOU, _Dumbo_. Err, I mean "J.J.", ha.

The fairies STUPIDLY leave Aurora alone in a room in the castle via a hypnotizing green ball of light. Okay now THIS is more like it. This is really creepy to watch. There's no dialogue, just this eerie music and the look on Aurora's face while being entranced is freaky as heck. Maleficent is of course in control of all this and she leads her away up these dark stairwells and magically creates her own spinning wheel. So destroying all of them sixteen years ago did NOTHING. Fools! She's the Mistress of All Evil! You idiots didn't think she'd have her own spinning wheel? You didn't think that she'd assume that you'd destroy all of them? Morons!

Aurora, still in trance mode, touches the needle and BAM. She's out like a light. The fairies show up horrified and Maleficent rubs it in their faces that they're all stupid and that she has won despite everything the fairies have done. The fairies place the now sleeping blondie on a bed in the tower and decide to put everybody else in the castle to sleep until the curse is broken. Not sure why...but anyway, right before he goes to sleep, Phillip's dad is overheard telling Aurora's dad that Phillip fell in love with a peasant girl out in the woods. The fairies realize that Phillip is the guy that Aurora had met in the woods and that neither of them knew who the other was, obviously.

While all this is going on Phillip has been captured by Maleficent's henchmen to prevent him for breaking the spell. No idea how Maleficent found out that Aurora was simply asleep and not dead but...whatever. She throws him in the dungeon of her own castle and taunts him by saying that she will release him when he is an elderly man and too old to have a proper relationship with his love, who he now realizes is really Aurora, the girl he's betrothed too. Wow that really sucks for that guy! His beloved is in danger and he has no way of doing anything about it...all because the crazy lady didn't get an invite to the baby shower. Talk about issues...don't tell Mal I said that, she'll kill me. For real.

The fairies show up, who had used their detective skills to track Phillip down, and they release him from his chains and give him the...listen to this...Sword of Truth and the Shield of Virtue. What in the name of Litwak, are you serious? That is...those are the DUMBEST names for weapons I've ever heard! How about the Sword of I'm-Going-Kill-You-With-The-Pointy-End and the Shield of Haha-You-Can't-Touch-Me? Is the sword going to make her unable to lie or something? When you stab her, if you do, will she spout out truths about the universe? Why is it called that? WHY?

The fairies help Phillip fight his way out of Maleficent's domain and heads for the castle to save the sleeping blondie. Mal is outraged at this and surrounds the entire castle with giant thorn bushes. He fights his way through them with ease thanks to his trusty TRUTHFUL sword and this only makes Mal more angry. She shows up in person to deal with him herself and-

TURNS INTO A DRAGON! Holy codes, that is turbo-tastic! Look at that, she looks AWESOME. And she even declares that she's got the powers of HELL on her side! Does any other Disney Villain have that privilege? Well, except that Hades jerk...I'm still mad at that guy...but yeah, she has everything going for her until-

Phillip stabs her in the heart with the Toothpick of Truth. And she dies. Well. That was rather anti-climatic. She had the powers of Hell to use, couldn't she have made her dragon skin impenetrable?

Regardless, I like this Phillip guy more than Prince No-Name from Snow White's movie. At least this dude does something besides show up and sing and then kiss a chick he thought was dead. Speaking of that, Phillip runs up the tower steps and does the true love kiss thing and wakes the sleeping blondie up. See, this guy already knew that she wasn't dead so it's not gross that he kisses her awake. Oh and since they are obviously each others' true loves, otherwise she would've stayed asleep, they get married and the castle wakes up and everyone lives happily ever after. The end.

Well, it was better than Snow White's movie. Even though Maleficent's reasons for wanting Aurora dead was dumber than the Nameless Queen's reason for wanting Snow dead. But Mal is cool because she turned into a DRAGON and not some lame old hag. And at least the two lovebirds did more than just speak two words to each other before falling in love, even if it did happen fast. Yeah. It wasn't that bad I guess.

I wonder what Blondie's doing...not the sleeping one, the other one. I haven't heard from her in a while. I thought she'd at least let me know she got there okay.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in Texas..._

**"Blondie's" POV**

Room service is _awesome_! Okay, not really, all I did was order pizza and they delivered it here. I consider that the same thing. I wonder what the Turbs is up to? I guess he's all right or else he would've called or texted. I'm kind of surprised he hasn't yet. Fine, two can play at that game. I can ignore him just as well as he can ignore me, so ha!

Let's see what should I do today? Class Reunion isn't until tomorrow evening. Hmm. I don't really feel like venturing out and going shopping just yet. I'll probably do that tomorrow morning so I won't be so jittery before the reunion starts. I'm kinda nervous about seeing those people again. Maybe I can leave it early and no one will notice.

Guess I'll use the hotel wi-fi and do my usual online surfing. That should kill a lot of time.

I can't believe that jerk hasn't even texted me at all. I guess that's my "punishment" for ditching him this weekend. Well, I'd already apologized and said we could do the movie thing on Sunday so he can just get over it.

* * *

_Several Hours Later..._

**Turbo's POV**

This is driving me crazy. I'm actually WORRIED now. What if she had an accident or something and she CAN'T call? What if she's in a ditch somewhere in a coma? I know that's a terrible thing to think but I've been in plenty of crashes before and I'm not sure if she has.

* * *

**Blondie's POV**

You know what, what if the reason he hasn't called or anything is because he _can't_? Great, now I'm worried. I can feel myself get into panic attack mode. Did I ever show him how to use the fire extinguisher? Or give him a list of emergency contact numbers in case the plumbing goes out or something equally terrible?

No no no, do not even _think_ about contacting him first! Don't do it._ Don't._

_Buzz Buzz Buzz_

My heart leapt in my throat when I heard my phone go off. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't almost trip out of the chair I was sitting in at the breakfast table in the room and tear my purse apart looking for my phone. Ha, I knew he couldn't last a day without talking to me! Little punk.

Sis: _u make it 2 texas ok?_

I felt my heart sink all the way to my stomach. "Disappointed" would be an understatement at how I felt in that moment.

Me: _yeah_

I threw my phone back in my purse, sighing dejectedly. Wait, why am I getting so upset about this? I came out here to get _away_ from Turbs, not to worry about him and expect phone calls or whatever. I'm feeling rather stupid now. He's a big boy, he can handle himself. Why would he bother contacting me if he didn't need anything anyway?

I'm going to bed and hopefully wake up with a sane mind.

You know, it's eerily lonesome being in this strange place by myself.

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

_Buzz Buzz Buzz  
_

FINALLY! It's about time. I got a good mind not to even reply to it due to all the worry and stress she put on me.

Random Idiot: _hey dude wassup?_

Wrong number. Of course. Figures. I'm both disappointed and angry at the same time.

Me: _wrong number, meathead_

Random Idiot: _oh. well who is this then?_

Me: _I'm the person that's gonna infect your phone with a virus if you don't bug off, loser_

I didn't hear from him again.

I feel like an idiot. Of course she isn't going to talk to me because she has no reason to. Whatever, I don't care. I'm getting to deep into this. I need to go to bed. Leave me alone.

It's kinda lonely in here without another person around.


	36. Knock Knock (Who's There?)

_That Guest Person: I read in an interview with Tudyk where he said he was not going to be able to be in the sequel since Turbo's dead for real...which honestly is fine with me because I don't really want Turbo to come back out of fear that they'd just ruin him and make no sense with him and turn him into "generic bad guy that is evil for the lolz". No thank you lol. Sometimes the fans understand a character more than its creators._

_Apple: Ahh, no Mal, give him back! D: _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

_Saturday in Texas_

Breakfast in the hotel was the norm: your choice of scrambled eggs, toast, bagels, fruits, sausage, bacon, etc. I only went down there because it was free and I admittedly just poked around at it. It's not that good. _Sigh_. I started wishing I was at home to cook mine and Turbs' breakfast. It was slightly depressing to wake up without having him around to bother me, even though he's been pretty agreeable lately. It reminded me of those days when Mickey took him away from me and I had to deal with not having him around. This wasn't a good feeling to revisit.

I tried to shake it off, thinking I'd get over it the longer I was awake and kept myself busy. I hate going shopping by myself, I don't even like going in Wal-Mart, but dang it I was going to enjoy my day here. I love antique stores and this place has a lot of them. I like looking at vintage Disney memorabilia, out-of-print books and first editions, antique kitchen appliances, and various knick knacks. My favorite thing in the world that I have at home is a white ceramic rabbit figure that is sitting on its haunches with super long ears and there's a flower bouquet painted inside one of the ears. I've had it since I was five years old and Mom bought if for me at one of these places. If something were to ever happen to that thing, I'd _die._

It took me a while to get used to going inside the stores by myself but I managed not to have a big panic attack. I scored the rare out-of-print novel versions for _The Fox and the Hound_ by Daniel P. Mannix and _Bambi, A Life in the Woods_ by Felix Salten. The books are very different from the movies by the way, I've read them before at the library but always wanted my own copies. They don't sell them anymore thanks to Disney's adaptations being popular I guess.

I kind of wish someone was around for me to brag to when I find cool stuff like this but no one I know seems to really give rat's molasses. I could purchase the original Mona Lisa and no one would care. Turbs might would appreciate it if he even knew what the movies were that were adapted from these books.

I decided to walk around for a while in my favorite store, the Jefferson General Store, that has all kinds of various vacation-type souvenirs. I usually get a t-shirt when I go in there but I couldn't find a color I liked that I didn't already have. I grabbed a glass soda bottle from the ice container they had at the register (the best kind) and decided to chill in front of this shiny black water fountain that they have outside.

_Sigh._

This would be more fun if someone was here with me.

_Later on that evening..._

Well, I'm ready to go to the reunion! I feel like throwing up on myself. That would be a shame if I did because I like this dress I have on. It's a sleeveless sundress that comes down to my knees; the background is white but it has this red paisley pattern all over it with pastel green, pastel yellow and olive green mixed into the pattern. Ugh, I've got the chills! I wonder how everyone looks? I mean, I've seen pictures on Facebook but I haven't seen anyone in person in forever. I hope I don't make an idiot of myself.

Okay, calm down. Just do like what Turbs said to do and tell yourself that you're turbo-tastic. Only I use my name instead. He's so silly but that was pretty sweet of him to try and help.

Ahhh, quit that! I'm gonna wind up falling for the guy if I keep thinking stuff like that in my head.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

**Turbo's POV  
**

All right, since Blondie STILL hasn't bothered to talk to me and I've already wasted the rest of my day driving around and playing video games, guess I'll watch another movie. Not a princess movie, I can't handle anymore of that mushy stuff right now. Now let's see here, what could I watch?

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

What the...who could THAT be? Blondie wouldn't have left if she was expecting visitors and she didn't say anything about packages being delivered.

Growling at having been interrupted, I plucked myself off the floor and went around the couch so I could get to the front door. I swung it open and looked up at this guy around six-feet-tall and appeared to be in his early fifties. He normally would have had red hair but it was graying considerably so it looked like an ashy strawberry color. He had these squinty dark blue eyes that I didn't trust and a slack jaw that hung stupidly from his face. He was wearing a light blue polo shirt that was tucked into a pair of khaki pants that he had a belt looped around. He looked like an idiot and I don't like idiots.

Ugly looked at me and blinked a few times, taking a couple of steps back and nervously wiping at his mouth. He asked if Blondie was here, only he used her first and last name, and I tilted my head curiously at him. He appeared nervous and twitchy, constantly darting his eyes to the side like he was worried about being caught here or perhaps he was acting like this because he hadn't expected ME to be the one to answer the door.

I lowered my eyes at him. "Don't know who that is."

Ugly raised his brows and rocked back and forth a little bit before wiping at his nose and then shoving his hands in his pockets. "Oh! That's strange, the phone book said she lived here."

This dude is making ME nervous what with all his twitchy movements and stupid fake smile. I don't trust him and I'm not about to let him know Blondie lives here.

"Guess you looked at an outdated book then," I replied shortly. "Chick doesn't live here."

He rocked back and forth once and stared at the ground before licking his lips (WILL HE STOP ACTING LIKE THIS?) and then smiled at me. "Thanks anyway!" Ugly told me before giving me a little salute and walking off, staring at the dirt as he did so. I watched him leave in a ratty blue Oldsmobile that looked like it was from two decades ago.

Weirdo. He better not show back up and cause trouble.

Anyway, what was I doing? Oh yeah, finding a movie. Let's see here..._Up_? Wow, what an imaginative title. It's got an old guy, a kid, a dog, a giant bird thing, and a house that is attached to a kazillion balloons and flying through the air on the cover. Well that sounds like a fun random romp. Certainly doesn't look like it would have anything mushy in it.

_Approximately Ten Minutes Later..._

THIS MOVIE IS EVIL. How dare they...how DARE they take that guy's wife away from him! They were together since they were little brats and then they stayed together for years and years and she never got to go to South America like they always wanted because she got sick and died and now he's all depressed and jerks wanna take his house away and bother him and...LEAVE THE MAN ALONE.

I THOUGHT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT A FLYING HOUSE AND A DOG AND A GIANT BIRD? Dang it, another movie lying to me! This wasn't supposed to have mushy stuff in it!

_After The Movie Is Over..._

This...movie...is...EVIL. EVIL. With a capital E-V-I-L.

Everyone just needs to leave this old man alone. The stupid kid, the stupid talking dog, the stupid squawking bird, the other talking dogs, the crazy old man trying to kill everyone else...EVERYONE just needs to leave this guy ALONE. He is depressed about his dearly departed wife and no one will just give him space and stop bothering him! Are they all trying to kill him?! I think they are. I would go psychotic if this stuff happened to me after suffering through such an emotional time like this dude did!

I might would have thought it was a fun movie if they hadn't already depressed me with that nice little DEATH SCENE at the beginning. That's all I can think about now! That poor sap spent his ENTIRE life with his best friend and Life pulled the rug out from under him!

What if that happens to ME?! I've already been dealt bad cards from Life, I don't need any more!

I ripped the dvd out of the player and slammed it back into its case before throwing it back into the drawer. Then I thought twice about it and put it back in its original position like Blondie had it so she wouldn't get mad.

How dare she leave me here alone without warning me of this evil movie! I never would have watched it if she hadn't left! And how dare she not call me yet, who does she think she is?!

That does it, I'm going out there. Lucky for me, she left her scribbled scratch paper out with the info on where she was going and what-have-you so I can use my car's GPS system to track her down.

"Meow!"

But first I better feed the cat.

* * *

**Blondie's POV**

_After the Reunion..._

As I had expected myself to do (and as I had planned anyway), I left early. I stayed almost two hours anyway! That's longer than I thought I'd go. But geez, everyone there had a...date. I didn't know spouses and stuff were allowed to these things. I guess it's a "do whatever you want" type social occasion. And they didn't even have soda! They had that nasty red fruit punch stuff in a bowl and little finger food things. _Yuck_.

I threw my purse on the bed after I entered the room and kicked off my white sandals I had on for the dress. It's still an early in the afternoon, not even five-thirty yet. Good grief. Maybe I should just order some pay-per-view and go to bed early so I can wake up early tomorrow and just go home.

I took my phone out of my purse and saw that there wasn't any new messages or missed calls. _Sigh_. I guess Turbs doesn't need me as much as I like to imagine. That's depressing. I mean, not that I like getting bothered every five minutes but-

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

I jumped at the unexpected knocking. Who on earth could that be? I'm really sick of random visitors showing up on my doorstep, even though this is a hotel room and not my apartment. I swung the door open and-

"Wow, got all dressed up for _me_?" Turbs smiled appreciatively after he saw what I was wearing. "You shouldn't have!"

He lightly pushed against my shoulder to move my stunned body over to the side so he could enter. I thought I was hallucinating at first but I quickly got over it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him dumbfoundedly as he threw his own duffel bag on the floor and collapsed on the bed, throwing his arms behind his head.

"I didn't have anything better to do," was the sarcastic reply I got. "Oh, look in my bag and you'll find my homework."

I startled back when he said that. "You...you actually _did_ it?"

He looked rather proud of himself as he held up two fingers. Well knock me down and call me Jane Brown.

"You did _two_ of them?" I wanted to clarify. "Wow. I'm proud of ya."

Turbs gave me a pleased grin before bouncing up to a sitting position, the bed squeaking a bit as a did so. "I think the same people that designed your apartment made _this_ place," he commented, turning his head around to look at the room.

I took offense at that. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"For one, it's almost the same size as the _entire_ apartment," he noted, getting up to spy out the windows. "Two, it's about as outdated as your place." He turned to look at me when he said that last one. "And don't pretend that we live in the Ritz, you know that place isn't worth the rent."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "It's _not_ a dump. And if you don't like it, go find a better place. You have money."

He shot a grin at me. "Fine, maybe I will. And it'll have another bedroom in it so I can have my own private space."

"I give you plenty of privacy."

"I have to go through your room to take a leak and get dressed, unless you're not awake yet and I'm able to dress by the couch. Not to mention I have no drawers or closet space."

I can't believe I ever missed this guy. I knew I'd eventually get a headache from the banter we were engaged in so I shook my head and said, "Whatever, and you never told me why exactly you came over here. You at least could have warned me in advance."

He started examining everything in the room from the table lamps to the fake potted tree in the corner to the ancient paintings that looked like they were bought at an '80s garage sale.

"I already said I had nothing better to do," he responded, wiping some dust off the top of one of the picture frames and then thumbing if off his fingers to let it drift to the floor. "Oh, and you had a creepy visitor. Some old guy was looking for you."

Turbo wasn't paying attention to me so he didn't witness the color drain from my face. "Old guy?"

"Well, not _old_ but he looked about your dad's age," he explained as he experimented with the touch lamp on the breakfast table. "I told him you didn't live there since he looked like a creeper."

I sat on the end of the bed feeling sick to my stomach. Could that have been...but he shouldn't know what city I live in! And why would he be there? Oh God, I hope he didn't move over there!

"Hey, since I'm here and all," Turbs began, bouncing on the bed beside me and not noticing that I was uneasy about what he just said. "Can we go see the movie now?"

I turned my head towards him. "Huh? Oh! _That_. Uh, yeah I guess so," I shrugged, still mentally distracted. _At least he told him that I don't live there, _I thought to myself as Turbs grabbed his bag to throw in the little bathroom area, I guess to change clothes. He was currently dressed down in a regular white tee and some long red shorts. _If it WAS Guy, maybe he won't come back since he told him that._

I felt a little more relieved as I tried to tell myself that Guy wouldn't show back up again. After a few moments, Turbo came out of the bathroom dressed in...

"You're getting dressed up for the movies?" I pondered out loud as I took in the nice dark-wash jeans, black shoes, and black button up shirt.

"Well, _you're_ in a dress."

"You didn't know I was going to be in one though," I argued, even though at the same time I had to admit he looked rather nice in that. Ahhh, stop that! I turned my head away. Hmph.

"Big deal," he dismissed casually. "Hurry up, it starts around six-thirty."

I jerked my head back towards him. "You already looked up the times?" I raised a brow at him. "So _that's _why you drove up here. You couldn't be patient and wait until tomorrow, could you?

"I don't see the problem."

I sighed deeply and put my sandals back on. Might as well stay in the dress. Dang it. He cocked me a grin as he held the door open for me and I shot him a glare.

"All right, but since you're so gung-ho about it, _you_ can pay for everything."

* * *

_Thanks to everyone that voted on my poll, "Who is your fave Sugar Rush racer besides Vanellope?"! Everyone was able to pick two. Out of 28 votes, Candlehead won with 13 votes. Gloyd had 9, Rancis had 6, Taffyta and Crumbelina had 5, Jubileena and Minty and Snowanna had 3, Swizzle and Adorabeezle and Sticky (teal Minty recolor) had 2, Nougetsia (Adorabeezle recolor) had 1, and no votes at all for Citrusella (Jubileena recolor) or Torvald (yellow Minty recolor)._

_There is now a new poll to vote on, about which secondary WiR character is your favorite!_


	37. This Is NOT a Date

_guest: I've got something else in mind for later ;)_

_dalek: hahaha, he didn't make that one up! That's a real car brand! My parents used to have one when I was a kid :P It's just a stupid name, IMO lol_

_To everyone asking, yes, "Guy" is the ex-boyfriend and is heavily based off of the one that really exists in my real life, give or take a few details. He's bad news._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Since Turbo was the one itching to go the movie theatre so bad, I made _him_ drive. Yeah, driving down the streets of small-town Texas in a fancy convertible while wearing a dress seemed almost surreal to me but it was pretty rad at the same time. It's enough to make someone want to stand up in the seat, throw their arms up and scream, "I'm queen of the world!".

But I didn't.

"You know it's supposed to rain later, right?" I mentioned off-hand once we pulled into a parking space at the theatre. "Might want to put the top down unless you want to give the car a thorough cleansing."

Turbs looked up at the clear blue sky that was steadily getting darker and then back at me. "I don't see any clouds."

"The wind could _bring_ the clouds over here during the time it takes to see the movie," I informed him as I got out of the car, then shut the door and fixed my dress where it got wrinkled. I threw my purse over my shoulder and double checked to see if my mini-umbrella was still in there.

Be prepared! That's one thing that _The Lion King_ taught me.

Turbo grumpily muttered under his breath about me being as crazy-prepared as Batman as he put the top down on the 'Vette, then he used his remote to lock it.

"You don't have to be grump about it," I told him as he walked by me on the way to the ticket stand outside the theater.

Luckily there wasn't a line to wait in. Since Turbs has never been to one of these places before, he got confused on what exactly to do.

"Do you want me to do it for you?" I asked him, being completely serious. This wouldn't be the first time I'd had to do something for him.

I guess he thought I was mocking him of his ignorance in buying movie tickets because he lowered his eyes at me. "I can do it myself just fine!" he snipped at me, yet he still didn't look very sure.

Okay, so he just doesn't want the movie ticket sellers to think he's an idiot that has to have his girlfrie-...I mean, _friend__ who happens to be a girl_, do everything for him. I turned to the side a bit so I could whisper to him without the sellers seeing me do it.

"Just go up there and say you need 'two for _Iron Man'_. That's all you gotta say."

I patted him on the shoulder then I maybe-kinda-sorta shoved him forwards so he'd go. He shot me a glare over his shoulder then did as I told him to do. I hung out behind him and to the left a little bit while he repeated what I'd told him to say, watching the freckled teenage boy with red fuzzy hair styled in an afro (what the heck?) as he did a double take upon seeing Turbo.

"Dude, whoa, nice cosplay!" he grinned through the window. "We all watched that movie when it came out since we get to see things for free so I recognize you." His face fell into a more confused look. "But why are you dressed like that for an _Iron Man_ movie?"

I held my head down and rubbed my temples while Turbo just grinned and ignored the guy and got the tickets for us, shoving a twenty dollar bill at him then snapping his fingers to get him to cough up his change. Turbo put his change back in his wallet and stuffed it back in his back jeans pocket. Yeah he has a wallet with a grand total of two things in it: cash and his driver's license.

I've been going to movie theatres since I was a probably two or three years old so I didn't see anything spectacular about this one worth mentioning. Turbo however had never been inside one before so it was like a brand new world to him. It was reminiscent of the time we went to Wal-Mart not too long after he first arrived in the Real World. He might would have stood at the entrance gawking at all the movie posters plastered on the walls had I not pulled his elbow to snap him out of it.

The smell of popcorn dominated the lobby, the norm in theatres, and Turbs perked up at seeing the refreshment booth. He smiled widely and pointed up to where the different sizes of popcorn containers were on display.

"Can we get that big huge bucket?" he asked me excitedly.

"You want to eat _that_ much popcorn?" I countered back, thinking he'd done lost his mind. "You'll get sick to your stomach!"

He looked deflated and I started feeling bad. I didn't want to be the one to ruin his first movie-going experience. After all, if this had been my first time coming here, I'd probably want the big tub of popcorn too. I scratched my nails against his shoulder through the shirt and said,

"Okay, fine, you want the big bucket, we can get the big bucket...long as you share."

I earned myself a grateful smile from him and for about two seconds I felt this fuzzy feeling inside until I smote it out. This. Is. _Not._ A. Date.

* * *

"You sure you got all that, Turbs?"

He was trying to hold both the popcorn tub plus his drink (he thought he had to have the giant size cup), not looking very steady about it either. "Yeah, I got it!" he tried to assure me without sounding very assuring.

I sighed and took his drink from him so he could concentrate on holding the popcorn. I'd hate to see the disappointed face he'd make if it all tumbled onto the floor...especially since it was so dang expensive. It's insane how much it costs to go see a movie!

"How do you know which door to go in?" he wanted to know after we left the concession stand and headed into one of the hallways.

I couldn't point since both my hands were full with our respective drinks so I replied, "See the title cards above the door? The one that has the name of the movie you bought a ticket for is the one you go in."

"How do the theatre people know if you buy one ticket but decide to go in a different movie room?"

I never really thought about it. "I don't know, I guess they have cameras installed. But I don't know why anyone would do that anyway."

I found the door for the_ Iron Man_ movie and luckily it was already propped open. The previews hadn't even started yet, which I personally enjoy watching, and I warned Turbs to watch his step. This particular theatre room was the kind where you had to go up the stairs first in order to get to the sitting area and the stairs are never lit well. We finally made it to the room and I have to admit, seeing Turbo's face upon seeing his very first big screen was rather humorous.

"It's _huge_!" he stated in amazement, taking a good look at his surroundings.

I decided that I might as well enjoy myself despite the fact that he had annoyed me by popping in for a surprise visit in Texas...even though if I have to admit deep down, I'm not so nervous being out in public when Turbs is around. I guess it's because I'm so used to being around him, that I feel out of place when he's not here.

I nodded to the empty back row of seats. "It's better to sit in the back so you don't ruin your eyes from the giant picture," I suggested, going ahead and going down the aisle. "Plus that way you can kinda talk about the movie without bothering anyone since you're so high up."

I plopped down in a seat right in the middle and Turbs took a seat to my left. I put the cupholder-slash-armrest down so I could put our drinks down and slung my purse on the floor underneath my feet. There was oddly no one else in the theatre, supposedly because this movie had been out for a few weeks already and now everyone was seeing the newer releases.

"Did you see _my_ movie in the theatre?" Turbo asked me after getting situated.

I had to smile and roll my eyes at him saying "_my_ movie" as if it was all about him...which technically I guess you could say the movie is all about what happened after he game-jumped the first time and we were watching a follow-up to his backstory. That's what I like to think anyway.

"I went to see it _three_ times, actually."

He seemed shocked to hear that. "Really? Wasn't that kinda expensive?"

I shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "It was worth seeing it that many times. It's the only one I've ever come to see more than twice, if that tells ya anything."

Turbo gazed out quietly at the room and sighed. "I bet I was pretty scary if I was stretched out real big on that screen there."

Most villains might would be proud of that fact (and it _was_ a fact that he was darn frightening on the big screen) but he seemed to almost lament it. I lightly punched him in the arm and told him,

"Yeah, but _your_ scenes were the best to re-watch. Not just saying that because we're friends now, but they were the ones the stuck with me after the movie was over."

I got a faint smile which made me sad inside since it wasn't the usual "happy Turbo" grin I usually get.

"Thanks," he said softly. "It's so odd to think of a bunch of people watching what you're doing without realizing there's anyone watching. Like, we were all up there-" he gestured to the screen "-and living out what we thought were our real lives with no clue we had an audience. It's a little surreal being in here on the opposite side."

"Well..._this_ is your real life now," I informed him, referring to his life in the Real World. "You've been here longer than you ever lived in Disney World or even in your own universe if you think about it. So I think you're about as 'real' as I am."

That did the trick. I earned a genuine happy smile from him and those things always make me feel like I'm on top of the world because it's directed at _me. _

"Thanks, blondie," he replied gratefully. "You always know what to say to make me feel better."

I felt a blush creep up right when the lights dimmed down for the previews and looked away from him. "You're welcome," I said back to him, feeling suddenly self-conscious at sitting alone in a dark theatre with him.

"Have some popcorn?" he asked me half-joking, half-serious and I turned my head back to see him offering up his precious popcorn bucket at me.

I smiled again and said thanks before helping myself, thinking that I was glad I picked up some napkins because this stuff always makes your hands greasy. Anyway, the previews came on and there were a few we thought looked good. I think the loud noise hurt his ears at first since he isn't used to that but it didn't seem to faze him after a while.

The kissing scenes made me want to die of embarrass considering who I was with and I just wanted to disappear into my seat. I didn't even bother to look at him to see his reaction so I couldn't tell you what he thought of them. I mean, I love Tony/Pepper hotness as much as the next fan, but...not when you're sitting next to someone that's a guy that you live with that I kinda likemorethanafriend but will neveradmititoutloud.

And to make matters more awkward than they were already, during one of those kissy scenes when I blindly reached over to get some popcorn, he had been doing the same thing at the same time so we ended up bumping hands by accident. We had jerked back at the same time out of shock and apologized awkwardly but...okay, fine, his hands are soft okay? There I said it. Soft and warm.

Crap. I need to go slap myself in the face or something. I can _not_ think like this! Stop being weird around Turbs! I'm being ridiculous. Why is watching a movie with him so difficult?! We do this all the time at home, it shouldn't be different here!

And still I couldn't exactly control my treacherous heart fluttering afterwards. I'm such a stupid girl sometimes.

* * *

"I'm hungry."

I stared at Turbo in disbelief as we headed out of the theatre. "You're joking. After all that popcorn?"

He gave me a sheepish look. "Might as well, while we're out and about."

I felt a little rumble in my stomach. I hadn't hardly eaten today and I honestly didn't even have that much popcorn because it makes me queasy when I have too much. "Okay, fine. Dinner it is."

Dinner and a movie...with the Turbs...how did _this_ happen?

* * *

_Phew, this is officially my longest fic as far as word-count AND chapter numbers go!_ _Thanks again to everyone reading this, really makes my day that people are enjoying this :) _


	38. Nothing Happened (No Seriously)

_ShayCandyBar714: I actually haven't seen the movie yet so I don't know if it showed or not ;) I might do a little something with the Turbo trailer though. I don't think he thinks of other companies as competition since he could care less about money wars between the corporations, but he DID get mad when Brave won the Academy Award :P_

_That Guest Person: lol I haven't seen the new Iron Man movie yet either, I thought I would get a chance to before that chapter happened but it didn't work out that way. And my mom has actually snuck in large drinks and hamburgers before in a big over-sized purse XD And thank you, that means a lot to hear (or rather "read") that :) Glad you enjoy this so immensely._

_Dalek: I'll tack it to my list of "Movies to Write Essays" for :P _

_jabootsy: We might...eventually :P And kapra90's a friend of mine, her stories are rather awesome, errr, turbo-tastic I mean :)_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

For dinner, we decided to crash at Dairy Queen. Say what you will, they have good food there, not just desserts. I got a chicken quesedilla basket and he got one of those Flamethrower burgers. We've eaten at one of these places back home before and the staff at most places we frequent had gotten used to seeing Turbo there, but these Texan folk weren't accustomed to serving a Disney character so it was a little odd at first what with them gawking and staring.

About halfway through dinner, Turbs had to excuse himself because that giant drink he got at the theatre finally succeeded in making its way through the plumbing, so to speak. Ha, that's what he gets for not going while we were still at the theatre like I did.

I pulled my phone out for the first time since we went out of the hotel and sent a quick text to Bestie.

Me: _u know anything about Guy moving up 2 where i live? I think turbo saw him at the apartment_

Seeing how it was Saturday and she was probably out on the town, I didn't expect a quick reply. I went in to bite into my third quesedilla when I heard a snide female voice say, "Aren't you that chick that fell off the Treadmill not too long ago?"

I put my food back down and jerked my head up and to the left of me to see none other than Miss Priss from the gym, in all her perfectly tanned glory. Unbelievable. What are the odds that she would be in the same out-of-state town and in the same restaurant as I am at the exact same time?

It's a small world after all.

"Yeah, and you're the witch that laughed your butt off when it happened," I retorted back grouchily. "Don't you have anything better to do than harass people while they're eating? Your mother would be ashamed."

I don't know where I even got the courage to talk to her like that but she was definitely better at being snarky than I was because she scoffed loudly and replied, "_Your_ mother would be ashamed of that dress you have on." She had the nerve to look me up and down like she was studying some germ under a microscope. "Paisley is so outdated. I mean seriously, did you pick it up from a Goodwill?"

I was more than insulted. I happen to love this dress and there is not a thing wrong with paisley, thank you. Then again, what do you expect some chick to say when they have on a miniature dark purple tube top dress and four-inch heels? I felt my blood pressure rise to the point that my face started hurting, one of my fists clenching the small pile of folded paper napkins I had beside my plate. I was seeing **red**; this chick has made me this way twice now and I would like nothing more than to throw a fork in her eye.

I was stopped from doing anything illegal and potentially life-threatening towards her when I heard, "I think she looks really nice."

I'm pretty sure my heart stopped and my jaw was partially dropped upon hearing that come out of Turbo's mouth, who had obviously come out from the restroom at this point, and was standing behind Miss Priss with his eyes lowered down at her in a disapproving glare. I only know that was how he was looking at her because I've received that same look plenty of times in the past. If I had been in a better mood, I might would have thought it funny.

Miss Priss appeared startled at first having seen Turbs behind her then glanced back and forth between us and then smirked, wanting me to slap her harder than I already felt like doing.

"Oh, I get it. You're on a 'date'." She used air quotes around the word and then flipped her long auburn hair back over her shoulder before spinning on her heel and walking off, but not before saying over her shoulder, "Only losers date guys that don't really exist."

That stung..._bad_. First of all, being called a loser isn't fun. Second of all, he _does_ exist or he wouldn't be standing here.

"Yeah well _no one_ would wanna date a fake looking Barbie-witch like _you!_" Turbo called back to her, sounding pretty bitter.

I had lowered my head down to face the remains of my dinner so I wouldn't be tempted to jump up and rip her stupid hair out and have a throwdown in the middle of Dairy Queen and get arrested by stupid cops. I felt a warm hand on my left shoulder but I didn't look back up.

"You're not a loser, blondie. Anyone that says that, well, _they're_ losers."

It was such a sweet thing to say that, given my mood, I kind of teared up and used a napkin to dab under my eyes before my makeup could get ruined.

"Thanks, Turbs," I replied quietly, reaching up and back with my left hand to pat his. Anyone else might be creeped out or disturbed and only feeling four fingers there (or _three_ if you don't count the thumb), but it's not anything unusual to _me_. "She's an airhead anyway for saying you don't exist since you're standing _right_ there."

He gave my shoulder a little squeeze so I guess he appreciated the remark. I think he gets a bigger kick out of being known as "real" than being recognized as a celebrity sometimes. He sat down back in his spot on the other side of the table and said jokingly,

"Well, you gonna eat the rest of that or do I have to?"

I lifted my eyes up to see the stupid grin he was wearing before chuckling a bit and rolling my eyes. "I can finish it just fine, thank you."

* * *

We weren't quite ready to go back to the hotel yet so we got some ice cream cones, his being dipped in chocolate of course, and we went out for a stroll around that part of town we were in. As I had predicted, clouds now covered the sky so we couldn't see the stars or the moon and I was pretty sure it would start raining at some point in the night. We were just walking down the sidewalk that cities have along the highway that pedestrians use to get around.

"Thanks for going to the movies and everything with me."

He sounded kinda shy about it which I thought was weird but I shrugged it off. A lot of what Turbo does is weird anyway.

"You're welcome," I smiled at him as we stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change so we could go. "Though I don't know why you couldn't just wait 'til tomorrow to go."

He finished off the last bit of his ice cream cone before saying, "Well, I kinda got worried when you didn't call. And I didn't have anything better to do."

He was worried when _I_ didn't call? Ha, that's funny because I had been worried when _he_ didn't call. We're both silly, I guess I should have called him to let him know I'd made it over here all right. The light changed and we started crossing the road.

"Sorry, didn't mean to worry ya," I replied as I finished my own cone, leaving only the wrapper and the napkins I had wrapped around it to keep from dripping on my hands.

Turbs held his hand out. "Here, I'll throw it away."

To think a long time ago, he would've thrown his own trash at me and demanded that I do it for him. I guess I'm a good role model after all. I gave him my trash and he went off towards a trash barrel that was a few yards away. I decided to take a look at my phone while I waited on him and saw that I had missed a message from Bestie.

Bestie: _i hadn't heard anything about it. u sure thats who he saw?_

Hmm, great. So there's no telling if that mysterious visitor that showed up at the apartment was Guy or not.

Me: _i dunno, i might have 2 ask him 2 describe the dude_

Ugh, the last thing I want to do is ask Turbs about that visitor. I know I have to though because if it _was_ Guy, then that's definitely bad news. I dropped my phone in my purse just as Turbo came trotting back up to me.

Anxiety flooded into me like a tidal wave. "Hey, uh, Turbs?" I asked him when we started walking again past some little stores. "That guy that came over to the apartment? What did he look like?"

I stared at him while he furrowed his brow and looked down at the sidewalk to think. "Besides being about as old as your dad...he had these narrow kinda squinted dark blue eyes...and shaggy light red hair that was clipped shorter in the back with a lot of gray mixed in. He was kinda tall, like six feet I guess."

I felt instant nausea and my heart nearly stopped. That described Guy perfectly. Oh my God, how did he find out where I live? How did he know which city to go to? All these different thoughts and questions raced in my head, making me dizzy.

"You okay?" Turbo asked me, snapping me out of it.

I turned my head to see him giving me a worried expression. "That guy was your ex wasn't it?" he added slowly and I felt even sicker. I hadn't even realized we'd slowed down so much that we were barely even making any progress going down the sidewalk. I nodded "yes" very slowly instead of verbally confirming it.

He stopped and spun me around to face him, putting one hand on each shoulder to keep me in my spot. He was looking into my eyes with such intensity I almost felt like bolting in the other direction.

"Listen to me, blondie," he said in this low yet quiet voice, rubbing my shoulders lightly while he talked. "If that jerk shows up again and tries to bother you, you won't have to worry about it. Because you got _me_ and I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise."

I was going to say that it wouldn't be very possible for him to do anything to protect me should something happen since he's not allowed to physically hurt anyone in the Real World. However, what with the way he was looking at me I couldn't even utter a squeak if I wanted to. It was like the world had disappeared and I completely forgot that we were standing there on a sidewalk in Texas with people out and about. The only thing I could pay any attention to were those glowing eyes of his which were certainly glowing even with the streetlamps on to illuminate the area.

I felt my heart race and my head felt light. Since he still had his hands on my shoulders, I could feel his was trembling so I knew he was as antsy as I was. He darted his eyes away from mine in a bashful gesture for a few seconds before looking back at me again. I don't know if he's trying to build up nerve to do something or if he's waiting on _me_ to do it. The tension between us could've been cut with a butterknife, that's how thick it was.

And then all of a sudden...it rained on us.

Not just little sprinkles mind you, I'm sayin' the sky opened up and started pouring buckets on us. We both jerked back away from each other, his hands coming off of me, at the unexpected downpour. Luckily, we were next to a bus stop booth that had a plastic roof over it for us to duck into real quick.

All the tension was erased now and I couldn't help but laugh at the randomness. "Ha! Told ya it was gonna rain," I declared proudly, as I took out my trust umbrella out of my purse. "Glad you listened to me now, aren't ya?"

He wiped some rainwater out of his eyes and dang him if he doesn't look...err...no he doesn't look adorable at all soaking wet. Nope not at all.

He rolled his eyes playfully and quipped back, "Just let me under the umbrella with you, Batgirl."

* * *

After racing through the rain to get back to the 'Vette, then making ourselves safely back into the hotel, I was in desperate need of a shower and some sleep. Today had been exhausting! I'd gone shopping, gone to a class reunion, went onadate but won'tsaythatwordoutloud. Once I got all cleaned up and refreshed, I felt good as new...okay I was still exhausted but I did feel a lot better!

Once I emerged from the bathroom, I had seen Turbs flipping through those books I bought. I don't know why I get embarrassed when people look through my stuff, but I do. I guess because I think other people will think it's stupid.

"What the heck kinda books are these? They look ancient."

"That's because they _are_ old," I replied, as I towel-dried my hair before I threw said towel in the laundry bag provided in the room. "Those happen to be books that were eventually made into Disney movies." I ran a comb through my hair to get the tangles out. "But the movies are so different from their source material, that they decided to stop publishing them for whatever reason and now they're very hard to find."

I thought of something and I turned around to face him, who had now put the books back where he found them and grabbed up his own stuff to go bathe with. "You know, I wonder if when a movie's based on a book, if those characters know that or not?" I queried out loud. "Like, when they find out that they are all movie characters when everything's over with, do they find out that they came from a book too?"

"I doubt it," he replied as he threw his bag in the bathroom, which by the way was a separate room from the mirror and sink area, like every other hotel bathroom I've ever been in. "If they don't use everything from the book in the movie, then they wouldn't know anything about it."

"Yeah, I guess so."

I figured he'd take a long shower so I went ahead and dried my hair then popped my contacts out, turned out the main room's light but leaving the one over the mirror on so Turbs could see, then crashed into the bed. It's always so cold in these rooms so I snuggled down into the blankets and got all comfy.

It was around this time that Turbo got done with his shower, faster than I expected actually. Even though I had my eyes shut, I could still tell he turned off the lights over the mirror because now it was pitch black instead of that weird gray-orange color you see when you close your eyes.

That's when I felt the bed sink down. I popped my eyes open only to be greeted by darkness and I rolled my head around to see the two glowing eyes that belonged to you-know-who.

"_What_ are you doing?" I asked him somewhat snappily.

"Getting in bed," he replied just as snappily. "What do you_ think_ I'm doing?"

"Heck no!" I protested loudly. "Same rules apply here as they do at home."

"But there's not a couch in here..."

"Sleep in the armchair then."

"_You_ sleep in it."

"I _paid_ for this room."

"For Walt's sake, it's not like we've never slept in the bed together before!"

That kinda made me mad. "Only because you were sick or scared of the thunderstorm!"

Naturally, a crash of thunder sounded outside. Good grief.

"_Now_ can I get in the bed?" he asked me with a hint of playful mockery attached to it.

I have a feeling that he's enjoying this argument a little too much. If he could see my face, I'd be scowling deeply at him. I huffed and scooted over, not wanting to hear another word out of him, curling myself up into a ball and snuggling back down into the blankets. He crawled under the covers and I pointedly kept my back to him. Hmph. I got a good mind to pull all the covers over onto _my_ side of the bed.

* * *

I'm not sure what time I woke up but it was still pitch black in the room so I was going to assume sometime after midnight. The first thing I realized was that I wasn't cold anymore; in fact, I felt pretty toasty. The second thing was that there was an added weight on top of me. I was still on my side facing the wall but there was definitely something _on_ me.

My eyes popped open and every muscle in my body jerked when it dawned on me what was going on. No, not again! Seriously?! That little...he moved over onto _my_ side of the bed like he did that time he was sick! Only this was different. He already had his arm over me, granted it was on top of the covers as well but it was still on top of me regardless, and he's all pressed up on me like this is some hug or something. Ugh, I bet he did this on purpose! Little sneak! You don't just "accidentally" get into a position like this!

There wasn't any plausible way to escape this without waking him up this time. _Last_ time, I had managed to wiggle out but...I think he felt me jerk in his sleep because...he actually snuggled up _more _and his stupid arm wrapped around me tighter, making the covers get pressed closer to me. His heart's beating into my back and I can feel him _breathing _against the back of my neck.

Someone shoot me. Please.

Why is this happening to me? Better question, why is he _doing_ this to me? Is he seriously trying to drive me crazy? Okay, I think he might have already succeeded in doing _that_ but...ahhhh! My throat's getting tight and my own heart feels like it's going to bust right out of my ribcage.

All right, calm down. Just chill out.

I forced myself to take a few nice slow deep breaths and after a few minutes my heart stopped pounding, though my head still felt dizzy inside. Okay, he's not doing anything harmful and...I have to admit at least I'm _warm_. And comfortable. He can't hurt me but even if he could, I don't think he would anyway given everything we've been through since I got him back from Disney World. Besides, he'd said earlier tonight that he'd keep things from hurting me so that's gotta count for something right there.

And...this sounds really weird, but if he were to move over right now, I might actually be disappointed. Strange thing to think I know, but it's like this conflicting emotion. I do but I don't. You know what I mean? I'm not sure what to let myself think really. Maybe I'm _over_thinking.

It's just that...I've given my heart away before and it was smashed to pieces. It took a long time to get it glued back together, although it didn't go back to the way it was before. I'm too scared to let it go again. What if it gets shattered again to the point where it can't be fixed? I mean, it's not like I don't want to give it away, it's just...well...scary. I'm too scared to. It's just safer if I don't.

And yet it was rather nice being held like this if I really thought about it.

_Sigh_.

I didn't bother shoving him off or wiggling out of the bed. It's not like this was going to be a regular thing anyway so I might as well let it go for one night.

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

I was surprised when she didn't scream at me or elbow me in the stomach when she woke up. And I know she woke up because I felt her jerk awake. Her whole body tensed up when she'd figured out what I did and so I instinctively hugged her tighter to me in an effort to calm her down. I don't know if that made things worse or not, but at least she ended up finally relaxing and going back to sleep.

She got used to it, is what happened. Which is good because she doesn't have much choice in the matter, not if I have anything to say about it. I know she's scared, heck so am I, but as usual she needs outside help in getting over it. If she can trust me, which I'm sure she does, that's a big step for me.

And she might ignore what almost happened earlier when we were walking around...stupid rain. If not for that random sudden rainstorm, we might would have...but maybe it's better that we didn't. Not yet anyway. The fact that it _almost_ happened is good enough really because that means it _will_ happen later. Maybe it'll be better later. Who knows.

And she might say that we didn't go on a date, but it was. She knows it was. She probably didn't realize she was doing this, but she'd do that thing I see girls on the television do like make sure their hair looked okay or get jumpier than usual or fix their clothes even when there's nothing wrong with them. "Fussing" with herself I think they call it, when girls do that stuff. Don't think us guys don't pay attention. We see more than we let on.

I woke up before she did so she wouldn't feel awkward. I didn't figure she'd mention anything about last night, and she didn't. Neither did I. The point was that the idea of what _could_ be got into her head and also she didn't have much problem with it or else she would've pushed me off of her.

I don't know what I'm doing as far as a gameplan goes, I'm just making it up as I go along. I also have no idea how long this is going to take before I get what I want.

I'm patient though. I'd have to be if I supposedly spent ten years preparing to take over a racing game as my own and then working for another fifteen to make sure it stayed that way. I can wait.

Because if there's something that I want...I **will** get it.

* * *

_okay I think that's enough mushiness and deep thinking for a while! Back to random crazy life! (Not sure when next chapter will be up, might be another week, sorry)  
_


	39. Irreplaceable?

_ShayCandyBar714:__ Yeah, "Story-Me" has written fics about Turbo before, but he's banned from reading them lol. I think he got scarred for life after seeing some that portray him in a way that he does not approve :P So he doesn't want to read anymore haha. _

_That Guest Person:__ Well, he did call her a Barbie witch lol. Hahaha curse you, random weather! Ha, trust me, I wake up some days and the first thing I do upon exiting my bedroom is look on the couch to see if Turbo is sleeping there XD If I could just have a large plushie to hug on, I'd die happy._

_guest #1: lol patience is a virtue :P I wish I could just sit and write all the time, but alas..._

_apple: trust me, ANYONE is better than Guy. The "real life version" is about as twisted as Frollo from "Hunchback of Notre Dame"._

_guest #2: lol might be awhile before those particular words get used!_

_jabootsy: I don't think I'm gonna have Miss Priss show back up unless I can think of something else to do with her. Anything I can say about the ex will be a huge spoiler so I'm gonna hush, hehehe._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

My dad's brother raises Springer Spaniels for a living and one of the mother dogs had a litter of puppies not too long ago. They were only big enough to crawl around a little ways, so we couldn't very well play with them yet. Not that it mattered because there were some older puppies there as well that were plenty big enough so I decided a little field trip to my uncle's wouldn't hurt. Besides, Turbo _loves_ puppies believe it or not. I'm not sure where that derived from but I wasn't going to complain about it since I like baby animals in general.

My uncle was actually out of town for the weekend so my brother was the one taking care of the dogs until he came back. Uncle doesn't live very far from my parents place, about twenty minutes out, so this wasn't a big deal.

"Aww! They're so cute!" I said upon seeing the newest additions to the canine family. There were five puppies, three girls and two boys, all of them whimpering around their mom who looked like she could use a break. I carefully picked one up that looked like he was about to fall asleep and gently laid him in Turbs' open hands. "Hold him up against your chest so he won't think he's going to fall and start crying."

Turbs held the little tyke in one hand against him like I'd said to and petted the top of its fuzzy head with one finger from the other hand. The smile on his face when that puppy fell asleep on him had to be the sweetest thing I'd ever seen. I think he would have been perfectly content letting it sleep there forever.

"Whoever would've guessed I was a natural?" he joked lightly, still softly petting the silky thin fur on the puppy. It yawned and stuck its tiny tongue out to lick his thumb before tucking its head down and relaxing some more.

I wish I'd had a camera because this was just _too_ adorable. A baby puppy getting cozy with a Disney villain…ya don't see_ that_ every day!

"Well I guess he feels safe or he'd be whining, right?" Turbo remarked out loud, sounding more like he was talking to himself than to me. "Imagine. Someone feeling safe with _me_."

"I don't think it's _that_ hard to imagine," I said to him with a little smile, getting one from him in return.

I heard the mother dog whining so I guess she was missing her baby. Turbo had to reluctantly give it back to me so I could place him with his siblings and mom, who gave him a quick bath with her tongue before he wiggled himself in between two of his siblings to nap.

"This mean you don't like my cat anymore?" I kidded with him as I stood up and dusted off my jeans.

He gave me an eye roll accompanied with a smirk. "Sure I like her. Puppies are just cuter, is all."

Bro showed up around this time, wearing his usual outdoors wear of worn-out blue jeans, dirty brown boots and a navy blue tee shirt with ragged edges on it from being in the wash so much. "Hey, you guys wanna play with the older puppies? I'm takin' them down to the pond for a while."

* * *

My uncle breeds these dogs and trains them to become retrievers out on the hunt. You can either take them out on the field to hunt for quail, dove, pheasant, birds like that. Or you can simply take them out duck or goose hunting with you out by a pond or lake and have them go fetch the bird out of the water for you once you shoot it.

Since this particular litter was a few months old, they were plenty old enough to learn basic commands like sit, stay, fetch, etc. There were seven of them and they were all rowdy and ready to go do something. I guess they could tell Turbo was someone that liked dogs because they all gravitated to him with their various toys for him to throw for them, some of them fighting each other to see who would be the one to bring it back to him to throw again. Sometimes he'd throw one of the floating toys out in the pond and they'd have to go swim to bring it back. It might seem like a simple playtime activity but it could double as a training session as well since this was what they were going to be doing when they got older anyway.

Bro was wore out already and sat with me in one of the deck chairs a few yards away from where Turbs was dealing with the puppies. I like puppies, don't get me wrong, but I'm not too big on the whole getting dirty thing. I hate when they get all wet and nasty and then decide to jump on me so I sat this play session out.

"So how's the whole 'guardian' thing going?" Bro asked me as he worked out a kink in his shoulder.

My brother isn't as familiar with Disney lore as Sis and I are, even though he's seen as many movies as we have. He just doesn't retain the memory of them well. He keeps forgetting the name of the movie Turbo came from, even though he's seen it. He's not good with names at all so that's not a surprise really.

"It's fine," I replied simply, keeping an eye on Turbs to make sure the pups didn't gang up on him too much. "He's nothing like he was when he got here, that's for sure."

"He wasn't too bad that time you brought him for Christmas. Sure he was a little stand-offish at times, but he wasn't that bad. He liked looking at my truck."

Bro is still working on restoring an old Studebaker truck that he found out in the woods one day. Since the company doesn't exist anymore, parts are hard to come by especially in good condition.

"You know, Mom and Dad don't really like him living with you."

I jerked my head at Bro, giving him a dirty look. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

Bro had his head down and scratched at the back of his neck, avoiding my gaze, so I knew he didn't want to bring up whatever it was he was talking about. "I mean they don't think it's right that he's bumming off you like you're a free meal ticket."

I felt my jaw drop a little. "Wait a minute, back up," I said grouchily, absolutely irritated that they thought that way. "That is _not_ what is going on. He's not_ using_ me, if that's what they think."

Bro shrugged and held his head in his hands to where he was avoiding my eyes, something he does when he's sorry he brought something up. "I didn't say_ I_ thought that, I'm just repeating their sentiments. I thought you should know."

I knew they didn't exactly approve of me being unmarried and living under the same roof as a guy but…to think that he's only hanging around because I'm some convenient free ride is crossing a line, in my opinion.

"I'm _legally_ responsible for him! Plus, I offered him to live with me in the first place, he didn't just walk up and demand that I open up my home to him or else! And where else is he going to go? And it's not like he can _pay_ me when he doesn't even have a job, _if_ he could get one anyway." I was really ticked off about this. "Do they talk crap about me behind my back?"

Bro shook his head. "You know Daddy wouldn't, he's not like that. Mom might say something offhandedly to someone but she for the most part keeps it to herself because she says it's embarrassing that you're being suckered."

I dug my nails into the sides of my chair. It's a good thing I wasn't over at the house right now or else I'd give her a piece of my mind. "Turbs _isn't_ using me," I stated firmly, staring out at the pond and watching the small ripples from the wind go towards us. "He's _not_. He wouldn't be…_nice_ to me if I meant nothing more than just free room and board."

Bro didn't say anything in response so I exhaled sharply to try and calm down. I looked out where Turbo was and saw that he'd done plopped down on the ground and was getting playfully attacked by the pack of excited puppies. Judging by the smile on his face, he didn't mind any of this and I found myself smiling involuntarily.

"So…what happens when you get old and can't take care of him anymore?"

For the second time, I jerked my head back in Bro's direction. "What do you mean?"

He sighed in annoyance much like Turbo does when I fail to understand _him_. "I mean, you're going to get old and die one day and he's…not. So what's gonna happen to him?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "Gee, what a thing to say to your sister!"

He shrugged and held his head down some more. "Sorry, just thought I'd ask."

I had to admit, I never thought about it. He was right. I was going to eventually get old and unable to take of myself, much less another person. And I was going to die. Turbo didn't have to worry about either of those things happening to him. I mean, even considering that he's still living with me when I'm close to my deathbed days but…

It wasn't a very good feeling to have to know that…

What if he abandons me when I start showing the signs of old age? Wrinkles, a few more gray hairs than normal, slight memory loss, not able to walk as well, stuff like that. What if he decides he doesn't want to deal with it and just leave me in the dust? I don't like to think that he _would_ do that but…I mean, come on, there's no way he's going to willingly stick around with my futuristic elderly self and deal with me when he could be off somewhere else living his worry-free life.

"I don't know," was the only thing I said and I left it at that.

* * *

"What does your uncle do with those puppies when they get grown?"

Turbo and I were driving back home to the city, or rather_ I_ was driving since we were in my car. He'd gotten fairly worn out from all that playtime he had.

"He sells them to make money," I answered him bluntly.

Turbo was quiet for a few seconds and then said, "He _sells_ them? You mean they're just little moneymakers to him?" He sounded rather bitter about it. "Then he just has the momma dogs make some more to replace them so he can just rid of them too?"

I wasn't sure why he was getting so upset about it. People sell animals all the time.

"Turbs, he very well can't keep them all or he'd be broke. The only way other people can get a dog, or anything else for that matter, is to buy it from someone else anyway." I glanced over at him for a few seconds. "What's the big deal? He always makes sure they go to good homes first, it isn't like they're going to be unhappy wherever they go."

"It's not that, I mean, I hope they would go to a good home…" His voice trailed off for a few seconds then he added, "It's just that…it's not a good feeling to know that you were only born and brought into this world just to make money with."

Oh.

"You mean like how _you_ were made just to be part of a movie and rake in the money for Disney?" I asked, making sure I was understanding this right.

"Well there's that of course…but I was referring to Mr. Litwak to be honest."

Mr. Litwak?

"I don't quite follow…" I had to admit.

Turbs made an aggravated huffing noise, which is what he does when I don't automatically understand him. I always feel like an idiot for not being perfectly in tune with his feelings, but he can be a difficult person to figure out sometimes.

"The only reason Litwak bought my game, or any other game, is so he can make money with it," he began, sounding a little bitter as he talked. "He keeps us around as long as we're popular but when something new and fancy comes along, he buys it to replace us. Like he did with _RoadBlasters." _

He growled the title of the rival racing game from his backstory, so I had a feeling he was remembering what little memory he had of his game-jumping incident.

"He bought that game knowing that it was going to be better than_ TurboTime_ so that he could make more money. All I was to him was a moneymaker, the _biggest_ one since I was the most popular." He turned his head to gaze at the scenery going by his window. "It wasn't exactly a good feeling to have it dawn on me that I was meant nothing to him as far as sentimental value goes. He was ready to get rid of me."

Oh…gee, I guess that is a rather crummy feeling. You know, that makes me wonder how Litwak lives post-movie. Does he keep the arcade running for the other nameless characters that come in to play the games? Does he know that his arcade characters are alive? Does he ever get bored and just sit down to chat with Ralph or Felix or whoever?

I stopped at the red light and took the moment to reach over and rub his shoulder. "Hey, don't even worry about that, Turbs. Litwak probably didn't know you guys were really alive in those games until after the movie ended and he learned that it was all, well, scripted. And he was only doing what he thought was best for his business. It's not like he planned on ditching _TurboTime_ right away anyhow, because then he would've went ahead and unplugged your game as soon as he got the new one."

He wasn't responding, or even looking at me, so I reached down to grab his hand and squeeze it, not even bothering to think about what I was doing first. He quickly looked down and over at his hand that I'd grabbed and then up at my face with a curious expression.

"And if you ask me, there isn't a price tag in the world to accurately show how much you're worth," I smiled softly at him. "You're irreplaceable, okay? And you're not just something somebody's using for their own benefit. You're your own person now so you can do whatever or be whoever you want."

He smiled back at me and I felt him lightly squeeze my hand back. "Same goes for you too, blondie."

I felt my heart melt a little and-

**HONK!**

I jerked my hand out of his when the car behind me suddenly blared on its horn. "Oh crap, green light!" I spat out, my brain scrambling as I hit the gas again. I hadn't even been paying attention to the stupid traffic light.

Turbs started chuckling about my panicked reaction and I snapped, "Oh be quiet, it's _your_ fault I was distracted."

"Right, like I asked you to give me a spirit-lifting speech right in the middle of traffic," he replied almost smugly, throwing his arms behind his head to relax down in the seat. "You've got soft hands by the way."

I gripped the steering wheel and tried not to act flustered. "Shut up."

He chuckled some more. "What? I didn't ask for a hand hold. But I appreciate the gesture."

_"You're going to get old and die one day and he's…not. So what's gonna happen to him?"_

I tried to shake the lingering words of my oh-so-wise younger brother out of my head but they kept repeating themselves. I'll tell ya, what's gonna happen to him…he's gonna up and leave me like everyone else in my life does when they get tired of dealing with me. It'll hurt like heck but it's bound to happen. I can't get any more attached than I already am, or else I'll just make it harder for myself down the road when the inevitable happens.

I clenched down on my teeth enough to make it hurt so I'd quit thinking so much. I need to change the subject. "That's it, you're getting homework."

"Fine, give it to me," he replied in a way as if it wasn't a big deal to him. "Can I pick which movie?"

"You picked the last two."

"So?"

"_So_ that means_ I_ get to pick." I hurriedly picked a movie out in my head. "You should like it, it has a _lot_ of puppies in it."

* * *

_I opened my eyes but I wasn't in my bedroom. Instead, I was lying in what looked to be a hospital room. The colors were neutral and the light was very dim, everything was fuzzy and blurry like it was a watercolor painting. A vase of dead flowers sat on a table next to the bed. The television was on but it was only showing static that didn't make any noise. I tried to sit up but didn't have the energy. _

_On closer inspection, this didn't feel like a hospital room anymore because there weren't any machines or medicinal IV bags around. It was more like…like a nursing home. I held my hands up and noticed the wrinkles and how thin my hands had gotten. They trembled as I held them up and I grew tired quickly and laid them back down on the blanket I was covered with. I suddenly wished for some water._

_It wasn't until then that I noticed I had a visitor and I turned my head to the left of me and could barely make out a human figure. _

_"Hello, blondie."_

_"Turbs?" I inquired in a surprisingly creaky voice._

_I could barely make out Turbo's form and facial features due to my limited eyesight. I would recognize that smirk anywhere though._

_"Though I can't really call you that anymore, can I?" he asked me as he laid a hand to pet my hair. "More like 'whitey' now, to be honest, but that sounds funny."_

_He looked the same as he always did, approximately thirty years old. I patted at my face with one hand and felt more wrinkles there and that perhaps my face had gotten thinner with age. I looked up at him in time to see another visitor materialize beside him. It was some red-haired chick with pouty lips that still looked young and beautiful, giving me a look of disgust.  
_

_My...replacement? _

_"Well, blondie, it's been a nice run and it was fun while it lasted," Turbs was telling me in this eerily detached voice as if he wasn't even speaking to me as a person. "But you're old and frail now and the doctor said you're gonna die soon so I need to move on while the getting's good."_

_I tried to say something else but the words wouldn't come. I really need some water. _

_Turbo put an arm around the girl, kissed the side of her head, and said, "Come on, red, let's get out here. Old people give me the creeps."_

_I felt tears well up in my eyes as he walked off with Red and they vanished into thin air before I could get the words out that I wanted to say._

_"Don't leave me…don't leave me…don't…"_

I jerked myself awake and found myself back in my bedroom in my apartment. I leaned over hurriedly to switch on my lamp and nearly killed myself getting to the bathroom to inspect my face. Oh good, still young. Tired-looking and half-asleep but still young. My heart raced from the scare I'd had with the nightmare and I closed my eyes to rest for a few seconds to get myself together. Kitty must have heard me get up because she came in to wind herself around my legs and purring.

I picked her up and hugged her before heading out of my bedroom to get to the kitchen. My mouth was dry and I seriously needed a drink of water. I put Kitty down on the bar as I got what I needed, hoping the light from the kitchen didn't disturb Turbo too much. I finished my drink and put the glass in the sink for the time being, tiptoeing to the side of the couch to see if Turbs was still asleep. Yep, all cuddled up on his side with his face halfway buried under his blanket so that only his eyes on up were showing.

I know it was only a stupid dream and I would hope that he wouldn't so coldly abandon me like that but…I don't even want to think about it anymore. I felt sad again and I just wanted to go back to bed. I may or may not have cried myself back to sleep.


	40. Turbo Hates Cruella

_LoserThe: Oh it'll end eventually. I've got some form of an ending planned out in my head already, it's just going to be a while to get to it lol. And as of right now, I honestly don't have any new multi-chapter fic ideas planned. I'll occasionally get a one-shot idea but nothing beyond that. But that's not to say I'll never come up with one!  
_

_jabootsy25__: I have a__n idea in mind for what will happen in the future ;) I've got the majority of th__is fic planned out in my head, it's all a matter of getting there!__  
_

_That Guest Person: oops, yeah I did say I was taking a break from the deep thoughts didn't I? My bad! But honestly I hadn't even planned that chapter to come so soon, but I figured now was as good a time as any to introduce the potential "mortal/immortal" problem. And it's probably the fact that he's both a good, interesting villain combined with a vague backstory for us to play around with that makes him popular with us ;) And yes, I would pay good money for a Turbo plushie! That's like my must-have item before I die lol.  
_

* * *

**How I (Turbo) Felt About 101 Dalmatians**

If you love puppies, like me, then you should really like this movie. If you hate puppies, then you should like the villain, that nutjob Cruella DeVille. Also, that would mean you're a jerk. Nobody hates puppies except jerks.

Before we ever get to the puppies though, we have to deal with the parents first. This movie takes place in a country called England that Blondie says is across the ocean where everyone talks like that Rancis Fugglebutt kid or whatever his name was.

Anyway, first we meet the daddy dog before he got saddled with a wife and kids, who is named Pongo, and he lives with his owner Roger, who we'll just call the Music Man since technically that's what he does. He writes music and plays different instruments and is rather boring since he never does anything but work all the time. Even his dog is bored. So Pongo decides that the two of them need to find a wife in order to make things exciting around the place and stares out the window checking out all the women that are out walking their dogs.

This part was kinda neat because whoever designed these people and their dogs made it to where the owners matched their dogs. Like, this little girl walking a puppy or a lanky chick with long hair walking this similarly lanky dog with long hair just to name a couple of examples. Blondie was being a dweeb and telling me what all the different breed names were but I don't remember any of them. Anyway, Pongo isn't satisfied until he lays eyes on one that is the same breed that he is, a Dalmatian.

So what's this movie trying to say? That you'll only be happy if you find someone that's the same as you? Is this movie against inter-racial couples or something? Why couldn't he be happy dating some dog that was a different breed? Is he a racist? Or since he's a dog, a breed-ist? What if this "dream girl" of his happens to be a complete nightmare to deal with? He could've gone for someone that looked nothing like him that had a great personality but no, he wasn't interested in any of them. He could've given at least one of them a chance if he'd wanted to. I mean, gee, it's not like I can go out finding some chick that has my own skin tone so what chance do I have to be "happy" if what this movie is telling me is that I better find "my own kind" or something? I call bull crap on that.

ANYWAY.

So as it turns out, the chick that is walking the female Dalmatian is really pretty as well and Pongo starts practically dragging Music Man out of the house to go find them. They finally spot them in the park and Pongo is insistent on playing matchmaker, which was rather humorous since he was tangling the leashes up and making them fall in the water and stuff. You'd think a woman would get irritated with this but actually they all have a good laugh about it and everyone gets married. Yeah the dogs get married too since they're outside the church listening to the vows and stuff and do the whole "kiss the bride" thing.

Oh, the two girls' names? Pongo's wife is Perdita and Roger's wife is Anita (did they make those names rhyme on purpose?), but I'm just going to call them Missus Pongo and Housewife since that's what they are. Oh and Blondie said that in the book this was based off of, Pongo's wife really was named Missus and Perdita was actually a separate character who served as a nanny dog to help nurse all the babies so my little nickname is actually the correct thing to call her.

So after the wedding, the humans move into a townhouse and hire a nanny to live with them because…I guess Housewife can't handle chores. Seriously, does she even work? We never find out. Music Man isn't exactly rolling in the dough here so I don't even know how they can afford a nanny. Maybe she gets free room and board instead of pay, I don't know.

Anyway, turns out Missus Pongo is pregnant and everyone's all chipper and happy until one of Housewife's old schoolmates shows up named Cruella DeVille. With a name like that, you know something's gotta be up. And who even names their kid something like that, I mean come on….it's a play on the words "cruel" and "devil". Why would you name your kid that? Did they know when she was born that she was going to be evil? Did she laugh maniacally when she was born instead of cry and giggle like a normal baby?

So Cruella comes in wearing her fur coat that she's not allowed to wear at rehab since that's part of her "therapy" and stuff (it doesn't work, she's still a nut) and she basically takes over the house, smoking this insanely long cigarette thing and starts making fun of Housewife's boring simple life with Music Man. She does however admire the dogs' spotted coats (hint hint) and mentions something about the puppies before leaving. Missus Pongo starts crying because she doesn't want Cruella to have any of her babies, who can blame her, while Music Man comes up with the "Cruella DeVille" theme song that's Blondie's ring tone, hehe.

Okay, not really, I changed it but I'm not gonna say what it is. It's a secret so HA!

Anyway, one dark and stormy night, the puppies FINALLY are born! The women are down in the cellar with the door closed while Pongo and Music Man stay upstairs and wait for the news. Nanny comes up after a while and keeps announcing how many puppies are born and finally stops at fifteen. I thought there was supposed to be 101 dogs in this but I guess it's physically impossible to have that many puppies so I'll let it slide for now.

Unfortunately…well crap, one of the puppies died already! Well, gee, thanks for depressing me, movie. That's really family-friendly of you. Oh and just hand the thing to Music Man why don't ya, thanks a lot. He's got the puppy in a little washrag and he gets the idea to start rubbing it thinking that perhaps it's only asleep and…phew, okay, false alarm. Puppy's fine and aww it's so cute and tiny! It can't even open its eyes yet and Pongo bumps noses with his new son right before Cruella has to show up. How the heck did she know the exact date and time that the puppies were to be born? Anyway, she starts raving about spotted puppies again and she takes a quick look at the one that they just revived and has the NERVE to call it a "mongrel" and an "ugly little white rat". How can you call a puppy ugly? Take a look in the mirror, hag lady, YOU'RE one to talk.

So Nanny sets her straight and says that Dalmatian puppies don't get their spots until they're a little older, which calms Cruella down and then she tries to write a check out to Music Man to buy ALL the puppies from him and come pick them up in a few weeks when they're ready. Thankfully, Music Man tells her to get lost and that they aren't selling ANY of the puppies. So…how are you supposed to afford feeding all of them when they get big? I mean, I'm glad he's not selling any of them but after what Blondie said about her uncle selling his puppies, I guess it makes sense to have to make a little money off of them or you'd be broke and it looks to me like these people are kinda heading in the broke direction already.

Anyway, Cruella gets all mad about it and basically swears revenge on them before leaving but apparently everyone thinks she's full of hot air because they don't even think about it anymore. I don't know about everyone else, but if some maniac with a fur coat with a name that means "cruel devil" swears revenge on me, I'm gonna take it seriously.

After a few weeks, the puppies all get their spots and get names but we don't even get to hear all fifteen names. We hear a few of them but the main puppies the movie seems to concentrate on are Lucky, which is the one that almost died and has the shape of a horseshoe on his back (Blondie said that's a symbol of luck) and he likes to sit right in front of the television and doesn't talk too much; Patch is the one with, well, a patch over one eye and seems to be the most talkative and maybe a hint boastful; Rolly is the chubby one that likes to eat all the time. We get a little glimpse of daily family life which seems to involve watching this western show about a dog hero named Thunderbolt and then after counting to make sure all fifteen puppies are available, the adults go for an evening walk around town while the Nanny puts the kids to bed.

However, this particular evening, things go very wrong. See, Cruella hired these two goons who I'll just call Tall Ugly and Short Ugly because there's really no other way to describe them. The two Uglies bust into the house despite the Nanny's efforts to keep them out and after disposing of her temporarily, they kidnap all the puppies. Of course no one suspects Cruella in all this because that would be TOO convenient, wouldn't it? Okay, actually Music Man suspects her right away but for some reason Housewife doesn't. Cruella's back at her place laughing her head off about the whole thing and decides to place a phone call to the owners' house to try covering her bases, saying that the police won't leave her alone and that it's upsetting her and blah blah blah cry me a river.

The police are obviously of no use so Pongo gets the idea to do what is called a Twilight Bark, which works like Morse Code only in barks. They go for their walk and Pongo manages to get out the message in "bark language" that fifteen Dalmatian puppies have been stolen from the London area. The idea works and before long every dog in the city is passing the message along even out to the far countryside of England. I gotta say, that was a pretty smart idea.

Eventually the message gets out to this old rickety barn where Horse, Hairy Dog, and Cat live. Yes they have names but I don't care. These guys must live with an old soldier or something because they all act like they're in the military, with Hairy Dog being the commander and Cat being the bottom-feeder who has to do all the work. Literally, this cat does all the work. Not even kidding.

Turns out, the trio lives next door to Cruella's giant house and they happen to know that there has been a lot of mysterious barking coming from the house, so they send a message back to London for Pongo and Missus Pongo to come there. They get the message and run away from home in order to save their kids from Cruella, having to go through the terrible winter storm and icy rivers and such in order to get there. I gotta say, these two are GREAT parents, braving the elements and all the danger to save their kids. If I were a kid, I'd want parents like these two.

Meanwhile, Cat goes into Cruella's house to investigate where lo and behold he comes across a room FULL of Dalmatian puppies. Aww they're so cute! They're all over the place, just squeezed into this one large television room. The two Uglies are watching television so they don't see Cat at all, and Cat learns from one of the puppies that they were all bought from pet stores and thus have no homes to go back to. The only ones, therefore, with names and collars and all that is Pongo's kids.

So why the heck go through all the trouble of stealing fifteen puppies when you went to pet stores all over the country to legally buy and obtain the rest? What's fifteen puppies going to make a difference? I guess Cruella was just mad about Music Man and Housewife refusing to sell them to her so she was going to get them regardless of what method. By the way, what is Cruella's plans for the puppies anyway?

We get our answer when Cruella herself shows up, interrupting the Uglies television program and prompting Cat to hide. She tells them that she wants them to stop wasting their time and KILL the puppies so that they can SKIN THEM so that she can make a FUR COAT out of them! She even gives them examples on HOW to kill them! What the heck, what is WRONG with this lady? Is she insane? She wants them to kill innocent baby animals just so she can have a stupid coat? Woman, go to the store and BUY one if you need a new coat so bad.

Oh wait that's not "good enough" because see, she's obsessed with the spotted pattern on the puppies' coats and she wants something "unique" and "never seen before". You know what, why don't you go to a fashion designer and have him or her whip up a design for you that LOOKS like a spotted puppy coat without having to go through the mess of KILLING AND SKINNING THEM and having their LITTLE BODIES just laying around rotting in your living room? No seriously, what was she planning to do with their bodies afterwards? Dump them in the ditch? Mail them to Music Man's house with a letter saying "Oh by the way, here's your puppies LOL" or maybe chop them up and eat them in a puppy stew?

Why the heck would anyone want to wear a dead animal's fur coat? That is just SICK and WRONG. Just think, you are wearing something that used to be worn by a living creature. And they were wearing it for PROTECTION; they weren't wearing a fur coat because it was FASHIONABLE. They NEEDED that to SURVIVE. But stupid people think they have look turbo-freaking-tastic all the time and be like "ooh that's so pretty, hey can you guys kill that thing so I can wear what he's wearing?".

Hey, don't laugh at me, I've seen how the fur industry works thanks to the WONDERFUL world wide web. It's a DISGUSTING business. How would YOU like to have someone kill YOU because they want to wear your skin? "Wow I really like Jane's skin color, I think I want to wear it". Sounds stupid right? Sounds immoral right? What's the FREAKING difference? You think Mister Fox or Mister Rabbit wants to die because someone's coveting his fur coat? NO.

Okay, sorry, got off track there but…I hate this lady. She BELONGS in rehab. Seriously. And no, I will NOT apologize for trolling her all those other times because I only proved that she isn't "cured" yet and therefore prevented any kind of early release for her. So there.

ANYWAY.

So Cruella leaves and thankfully the Uglies decide not to kill them right away and go back to watching television. This gives Cat plenty of time to get the puppies together and organize them in a line to start pushing them out the hole in the wall that Cat himself came through. He eventually gets them all out right when the television program goes off. I'm telling ya, this cat must not have gotten the memo that he's not supposed to like dogs but here he is risking his neck trying to save ninety-nine of them. That cat deserves a medal or something.

The Uglies find out pretty quick that the puppies are gone once they finally get their eyes off the television and go hunting around the house for them, with the Cat leading the puppies around to try and avoid being spotted…haha, get it, getting spotted and they're spotted puppies and…never mind. Anyway, they get caught and Cat tries to shield the puppies from the two crazy puppy killers to no avail.

Meanwhile, Hairy Dog meets up with Pongo and Missus Pongo and directs them to Cruella's house where they race on ahead. Then they literally crash through the window like superheroes and boy are they MAD. I mean they have their teeth bared and ears folded back and everything. This distracts the Uglies and they all have a big epic showdown which allows Cat to get the puppies out of the house and Hairy Dog takes them back to the barn with him and Horse.

After the fight is over, the Pongo couple heads back to the barn as well and are reunited with their fifteen children. They learn from one of the pet store puppies that Cruella was wanting to make fur coats out of them and they decide to take all ninety-nine puppies with them back home. Wow, that's probably the biggest adoption in the history of adoptions. So now we finally have 101 Dalmatians, ninety-nine puppies plus two adults.

Oh and Cat doesn't even get a personal "thank you" for all his hard work, the three of them get a generic thanks from the parents and that's it. Whatever. I still say he deserves a medal.

Anyway, so while everyone escapes, the Uglies show back up and get clobbered by Horse but unfortunately they can still see the paw prints in the snow so they get in their dognapping van and go after them. Another storm hits and does the job in covering the rest of the tracks but unfortunately the puppies are getting tired, cold and hungry. They're so cute with their little ears flapping in the wind…ahem.

Okay so long story short, they find a resting spot which happens to be a little dairy farm and the puppies all get fed by the cows and have a warm place to sleep for the night. The next day they end up in a little village and come across a Black Labrador who knows of a delivery truck that is heading to London soon so they can get home faster. Unfortunately, the Uglies plus a very unhappy Cruella are also in the town searching for the puppies. Pongo gets the idea to have everyone roll around in some fireplace soot that was piled up in this warehouse place they took shelter in and disguise themselves to look like Labradors. I swear, these are the smartest dogs ever. That's really clever.

What's funny is that Fat Ugly actually suspects that the dogs are tricking them upon seeing some of the soot puppies but Skinny Ugly tells him that's a stupid thing to think because dogs aren't smart. Hahahaha, moron.

Unfortunately for the dogs, some of the snow is melting off of the rooftops and is getting water on the dogs, making the white parts of the fur show through the soot. Cruella notices and is rather flabbergasted that the dogs were smart enough to disguise themselves and calls for the Uglies to go after them. Thankfully all of the dogs make it safely on the truck but now they are being chased down by a REALLY angry fur-wearing diva and her two henchmen. The delivery guy hasn't got a clue that he has dogs in his truck and is rather angry himself that this crazy women is supposedly trying to run him off the road.

I'm telling ya, the woman is INSANE. She's gotten to the point to where she doesn't even care if she winds up killing this driver man in the process of getting those puppies just for the sake having a FASHIONABLE, UNIQUE FUR COAT.

Okay, I know what you guys are thinking. "Gee, Turbo, didn't you kinda do the same thing? You tried to kill a kid for the sake of having glory and a cool royal title attached to your name just so you could race again when all you probably had to do is go up and ask the kid if you could race around with the rest of them." Well you know what…fine, you're right. BUT my original intention wasn't to kill her. At least I don't think it was since my stupid backstory never goes into that detail. Maybe I did or maybe I always intended to make her a glitch without realizing the consequences of doing such. I'll never know. And unless the sequel decides to mention some more information about me, which I doubt since my "voice actor" (that is a really weird thought, knowing that someone else provided your voice for you) said that he wasn't going to be in the sequel so I'm going to assume that means that yours truly won't be in it. Fine with me, I don't want to go back. I really don't. I probably will eventually but I won't be happy about it. I like it here in the Real World. It's my home.

Oh yeah, the movie, sorry. So the Uglies end up crashing into Cruella's car and slamming all of them off the road and crashing into a huge pit thing and Cruella goes into "boo hoo, poor me, life isn't fair, I hate you guys, waaah" mode and pitches a big fit about losing the puppies. What a drama queen. What she SHOULD be crying about is all that money she wasted buying those puppies from the pet store.

How strange, a villain obtaining her materials the legal way. I guess I have to give her a little credit for that at least. The cops at least couldn't have arrested her animal theft since she paid for everything and…you know what, if anyone would be arrested for any of this it would be the Uglies. Yeah, she has them do all the grunge work like stealing puppies from houses and then committing the actual murders of them and she'd get off scot free with a new coat to boot. Maybe she's smarter than I've been giving her credit for. That still doesn't mean I like her though, anyway that hurts puppies is pure evil. Jerk.

So Pongo and Missus Pongo and all ninety-nine puppies come home and everyone's one big happy family again. Music Man suggests adopting the homeless puppies and buying a big house out in the country in order to have room for them. How are they to afford this by the way? Remember when he came up with the Cruella DeVille theme song? Well, turns out it was a big hit with the music industry and he's going to get a buttload of money. Nothing beats that. They all supposedly happily ever after and no one ever says anything else about Cruella again because there wasn't any proof I guess that she did anything and the end.

Okay so I liked this one, like Blondie said I would, because of PUPPIES. And even though I hate Cruella, she was actually pretty dang smart for a psychopath. Or maybe she was smart BECAUSE she was a psychopath. I like to think I was smart for a villain but I'm not sure what exactly the general opinion is on that. Blondie says I was a good one but I think she's a little biased, circumstances being what they are.

You know what, I wonder what the devil dogs over in_ Sugar Rush_ looked like when they were puppies? If they ever WERE puppies, that is. I doubt they were but I wonder if they were cute. I know they seemed mean in the movie but they were just doing their job. They didn't have a problem with me anyway. I guess they could tell I liked dogs. Who knows.

Okay, Turbo out.

* * *

_Got something kinda special planned for next chapter ;) Just gotta work out the details of it so it'll be good._


	41. Off to Litwak's! Part One

_LoserThe__: Turbo's pretty much become my muse, so he's my main thing; I can come up with a few scenarios for the others but they tend to fizzle out since I can't visualize where to go with it. I am horrible at writing Calhoun and Ralph, at least I feel that way when I try to write them. And no, not into the Jawbreaker ship personally, I'm not against it but I only seriously ship Van with other Sugar Rush racers. I tried to do some Ralph/Vanellope friendship stuff before but it always felt forced and generally weird to me. I prefer the Ralph/Felix friendship anyway. I always feel like I don't do well with Vanellope either even though I've been told several times I do fine with her._

_Guest: Turbo thanks you for your compliment :)_

_apple: lol I wonder if they even came up with that many names XD _

_jabootsy25: haha please don't check every five seconds XD though I'm glad you like it that much to check so often lol. I typically update sometime between 24-48 hours depending on how my creative surges are going and how fast I can type it out ;)_

_That Guest Person: I love all the "dog character" movies X3. And that IS mindboggling to think of drawing all those dogs! But I think they used a new kind of process (for the time) to make it easier for themselves, especially when drawing the spots. I can't think of the name of it now, it started with an X though. Haha, villain names are so crazy sometimes XD I like to think "Scar" was his nickname, since I highly doubt he was born with that scar on his face :) _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I was happy as a lark; Turbo was madder than a wet hen.

"I don't want to go!" he growled angrily as we marched down the halls of the rehab center a few paces behind Mickey Mouse.

"Turbs, you had to know this day was going to come sooner or later," I told him, though to be honest I was a little worried about him being let loose in his movie-verse. Not that I don't trust him or anything; I was more worried about how everyone else was going to react to him being there.

Also, I was uber-excited; I was going to Game Central Station! I was going to meet all the other _Wreck-It Ralph_ characters and get to see Niceland, the entire world of _Sugar Rush_, maybe get a peek of _Hero's Duty_ if Calhoun allowed it. Woo-hoo! What better way to spend the beginning of June, the month that the first _Wreck-It Ralph_ preview appeared?

We entered the room with the teleportation device in it and Mickey turned to us in order to speak. "Normally, I'd go with you but I have a meeting to attend to with Oswald and Ortensia, so you're going to have to go on your own. Ralph's expecting your arrival."

Turbo muttered something and I lightly punched his shoulder and gave him a look that said "behave". Mickey typed in some coordinates into the keypad attached to said device and motioned Turbo to go into it first. It could only hold one person at a time, remember?

"I'll be right behind ya," I assured him as I gave him a little smile and a wave.

He barely had a chance to return the gesture before the door shut and the machine zapped him away. Gee, thanks Mickey. The door opened again, for me to get in this time, and I situated myself into the small space.

"Say hello to Mr. Litwak for me!" Mickey quipped at me before shutting the door.

Huh, odd request. Oh well, off to Game Central Station! Wheeeee!

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

So here I am in Game Central Station. Big freakin' whoop. I can't even remember the last time I came in here. Actually, I don't think I've ever graced this place with my presence until now. It's not like I took a stroll around the joint during my backstory scene. Nope, I drove from my portal to the direct opposite one which was where _RoadBlasters_ was. I wasn't exactly going to stop and look at the scenery while I was game-jumping, you know.

I materialized right in the middle of the darn place and I'd be lying if a few passers-by didn't stop to stare at me. Nobody screamed in horror at least so that was a good sign. Apparently everyone understood that I was only SCRIPTED to do the things I had done during the events shown in the film. How come I was the last to know that information? Whatever.

As the rat had informed me, Wreck-It Ralph was awaiting my presence not too terribly far from where I had popped up and shambled over to me.

"Mickey didn't come with you?" he asked with a curious brow raised up.

"Gee, it only holds one person," I retorted, crossing my arms. "How the heck did you ever fit in that tiny little thing anyway?"

His face fell to show that he wasn't amused with me. "Mickey came here and then used his little handheld thing to get me out here, thank you very much."

Ha, so larger than life characters are naturally stuck in their movie-verse unless the rat comes along to escort them. HAHAHA! I find that hilarious but I'm not about to laugh in this guy's face since that would be pretty stupid. What? His fist is about the size of FOUR of me.

"He had plans already," I replied instead, turning around behind me as I had expected Blondie to show up. It shouldn't have been taking her THIS long to get here. What's the deal? That rat better not be holding her up.

"What are you looking at?"

I span back around to look at Ralph, giving him a glare as I had become impatient and was not in much of a mood now. Not that I was in a good mood to start with because I had to come HERE. I told him I was looking for Blondie since she was supposed to be right behind me. Ralph gave me this odd look that I couldn't read right away which rather irritated me.

"Uh, Turbo, you know how when _we_ go outside to either Disney World or the Real World, we're all roughly the same size as everyone else?" He rubbed at his neck before continuing. "It doesn't really work that way coming from the opposite direction."

I stared at him for a moment before asking, "What does THAT mean?"

He blew out a breath, unfortunately for me as it wasn't just a joke that the guy had halitosis. "It MEANS that here, me and you and everyone else around here are in our movie-verse forms, which is that of a game character. In case you forget, there are regular humans in this world that are giant sized outside of our game screens. If Litwak were to go to Disney World, he'd probably be the same size the we are, but here he's the size he is in the movie. Your friend, being a normal human herself, quite possibly ended up in the actual arcade."

My eyes widened when I grasped what he was saying. Then I lowered them again and growled, stamping my foot down. "That jerk Mickey couldn't have said something about that before sending us here! How the heck did that rat manage to get inside of HERE anyway?"

Ralph shrugged. "He's Mickey, he can make himself whatever size he wants while traveling."

That dirty little rat. Figures.

"Well, maybe we can see her if we go inside one of the games," Ralph suggested slowly, I guess because he wasn't sure how I'd react.

"No kidding, Sherlock," I grumbled. "How ELSE would we be able to see her?" I sighed deeply and rubbed my brow line to try and relax. "Might as well start with YOUR game."

* * *

**"Blondie's" POV**

Of all the cheap tricks! Yeah, I ended up at "Litwak's Family Fun Center". Not the Game Central Station mind you, I mean I ended up inside the actual arcade on the _outside _of the the arcade cabinets like I was one of the customers. No wonder Mickey had told me to say hello to Litwak for him. He knew all along I wasn't going to get to go inside the GCS! What a bummer. I really wanted to go inside Felix's penthouse and eat something out of _Sugar Rush_. I feel really let down and disappointed right now.

At least the place was empty and not filled to the brink with customers. I gotta say, it's pretty weird being in here like this. It feels almost surreal in a way. Oh, where am I exactly, you ask? Well, I'm not in view of any of the game screens to be perfectly honest. Actually, I ended up in an office space.

I felt someone tap my shoulder and I let out a little yelp and span around. I put a hand to my heart and took in a breath when I realized who it was.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to frighten you!" Mr. Litwak told me with a friendly smile. This dude's really tall by the way.

"Oh no, it's cool," I told him with my own smile. "And Mickey Mouse said hello."

"Ah, tell him I said 'hi' back!" He adjusted his glasses and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Been a while since I've talked to that guy...kinda like my nana."

I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or to himself but anyway..."Hey, so how come I ended up _here_ instead of in the games?"

Litwak shrugged casually. "It's just because you're human. Humans in this world are giant-sized compared to the game characters so it would only make sense for you to be that way as well."

What a drag. I wonder if the gang from _Toy Story_ would be normal sized toys if they came to the Real World or if they'd be normal-human-sized like Turbo is. The laws and physics of Disney World is really confusing sometimes. I guess everyone just ends up in whatever size makes sense. Kinda like Hopper from _A Bug's Life_ still being teeny-tiny in Disney World. Kinda weird that Turbo didn't come to me in a tiny form as well but whatever, not gonna argue.

"Here," Litwak said, holding out his hand to me. I opened my own hand up and he dropped a bunch of quarters in it. "Have a little fun with the gang. I'm gonna stay in here and take a snooze. Just make sure to come see me so I can get you back to Disney World."

"Wow thanks!" I beamed at him. "Hey, don't you ever keep this place open to the public?"

"Yeah it usually stays open all the time until nighttime hits, but sometimes I just like to hang out here on my own."

He kicked back in his chair and threw his feet on his desk; I said my good-bye and shut the door behind me, heading out towards the arcade proper and sticking the quarters in my cargo pocket that was on my capri pants. Good thing I chose to wear these particular pants today!

I entered the main hub of Litwak's and inhaled a fresh breath of air. I supposed I needed to locate the Turbs before I did anything else, though I had no idea which game he would be in, if any. For all I knew, he was wandering around the Station. I hope he didn't get too worried when he realized I hadn't shown up next to him. But wow look at this place! All the machines were up and running, ready to be played. So awesome.

I had just passed by the _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ game when I heard the unmistakable call of the Turbs screaming my name. I stopped dead and instinctively looked around the room, even though I should have known he would be inside one of the games and not just wandering around the arcade.

"To the left, genius!" I heard him direct me quite rudely and I turned my head towards Felix's game screen and-

Hahaha! Oh my gosh, he's in his little 8-bit sprite form! He's so cute and tiny now!

I couldn't help but laugh and I saw him cross his arms and lower those yellow eyes of his, obviously not amused. "There is nothing remotely funny about this!"

"Yeah, it kinda is," I remarked, holding up my thumb and purposely placing it on the glass to where I'd be covering him up. "You're so tiny! Like the size of my thumbprint!"

I removed my thumb and he had gone to shutting his eyes, gritting his teeth and stomping one of his feet up in down. "I am not tiny! I am my normal size! _You're_ the one who's freakishly huge!"

I so seriously wish Disney World allowed the use of cameras; yeah, I can't bring my camera around here anywhere because they don't need anymore of the "secret world of Disney" getting out into public knowledge than it is already.

He quit stamping his foot, opened his eyes and pointed at me directly. "And your thumb looks as giant as the rest of you from this side of the screen so joke's on you!"

I can't even respond to that; I'm laughing too hard to form words. I mean, come on, just imagine him in his little pixelated form throwing a temper tantrum!

"Stop laughing!" he was hollering at me then he looked off to the left side of the screen to see Ralph show up. "Oh great, just what I needed."

I wiped the tears from my eyes that had formed from laughing. "Hi, Ralph!" I waved, then felt stupid for waving. Like he needed help in finding me or something.

"Hello again!" the wrecker greeted me back.

Felix then appeared out of the front door of the penthouse building and hopped himself over to where the other two were, making his little "boing boing" sound while doing so. "Golly, hiya, Turbo!" he welcomed him with a smile. "Nice to see ya again, brother!"

Turbo shrugged his shoulders up and crossed his arms tightly, glaring at Felix. "Not your brother."

Felix startled when he saw me, which looked more amusing than it normally would because he was in his 8-bit form as well. "Jiminy jaminy, hello again to you, ma'am!" He raised his little hat in the air at me and I said hello back.

I could see Turbo giving Felix one of those "toothy frowns" like he does in the movie during the flashback when he glares at_ RoadBlasters_. I take it that's his "jealous" look.

"Say, you want to try and play a round of our game?" Felix inquired in his usual happy voice.

Turbo's eyes went big. "No!"

I grinned. "Sure! I'd love to play!"

"Don't think I'll take it easy on you," Ralph warned me in a playful manner.

Turbo went back to crossing his arms and looking peeved. "And what the heck am _I_ supposed to do during your little playtime session?"

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

Felix was giving me that stupid grin of his as he shut me up in his penthouse which was on the top floor of course.

"She more than likely won't make it to the last level of the game, so don't worry about Ralph punching bricks through the wall while you're here," he was telling me. "I have some magazines to read while you're hanging out!"

I looked around boredly. "Gee, thanks."

He chuckled and I felt like punching him in the face but I resisted. No need starting a scene while I'm here. He tipped his hat before walking out his door and locking me in here. Great, now I'm a prisoner. AGAIN.

I sighed and plopped down on his couch and grabbed a magazine that was on the coffee table. _Better Homes and Gardens_. Why am I not surprised that he would have this? Well, it's not like I'm doing anything anyway. Huh, I wonder what he has in his fridge?

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

The entire building is shaking! Holy codes, seriously? Is Ralph TRYING to kill me in here? The couch I'm sitting on is bouncing around like a pogo stick! I'm literally scared to death in here, no kidding, I have a stupid throw pillow over my head here!

Gosh darn that Blondie, thinking she had to play this game! So long as she doesn't go to _Sugar Rush_, I guess I'm not TOO upset though.

* * *

**"Blondie's" POV**

Wow. Okay, so this game is a little trickier than I thought it would be. I've played the version that's on the Disney website, but this is harder for some reason! Oh and the little Nicelanders popping out with pies are soooo cute! It was really cool to get one and have Felix do that trick where he flashes colors and fixes things really fast.

I did have a mini-heart attack when I "killed" Felix, but then I remembered he could regenerate. I told him I was sorry anyway. He said it wasn't a problem. You get the usual three lives with this game, so I still had a few more game sessions before I finally killed him for good.

"You didn't do too shabby for your first time!" Felix told me cheerfully once he and Ralph were back on the ground level.

"Yeah, you did better than most people," Ralph had to agree.

"Thanks, guys!" I said, feeling pretty good about myself.

I saw the front door to the penthouse bust open and a very unamused Turbo stormed out. "It's about time!" he was shouting, waving his little arms about. "I think I busted a spleen in there from all that bouncing around!"

I had to stifle a giggle at imagining him doing the aforementioned bouncing around. I heard what sounded like Vanellope calling my name over where _Sugar Rush_ was located and I saw her in the dead center of the "Chews Your Racer" screen with eight of the other racers surrounding her.

"Don't go talk to her!" Turbo was yelling at me but it was too late. "Get back here!"

"Hi, Vanellope!" I greeted her as I walked over to the _Sugar Rush_ dual screen area, although only one was active right now. I guess Litwak shuts the other one off whenever the arcade's closed so there won't be two of each racer bouncing around on the startup screen.

"If you're done playing that boring ol' _retro_ game," she joked around with a smirk. "You can play ours!"

I could barely hear Turbo screaming, "Don't you dare!"

I bit my lip. "I dunno, Vanny, I'm not too good at racing games."

"We'll take it easy on ya!" she promised before looking around at the eight racers surrounding her. "Right, guys?"

Taffyta was the only one that didn't agree. "Please, like I'd take _anything_ easy."

I thought about for...ahh, who am I kidding? I'm going to get to play the _real Sugar Rush! _I turned back towards the _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ screen and shrugged helplessly.

"Sorry, Turbs, they're just so cute!"

I could barely make out him facepalming himself.

* * *

_Next up is Sugar Rush and Hero's Duty! :D_

_If anyone cares, I have a new "serious"one-shot posted focusing on post-movie Vanellope and Turbo in the Fungeon, titled "Imprisonment". And still working on the next chapter for the donut cop fic for those that are reading that also._


	42. Off to Litwak's! Part Two

_thunderstar: guess I didn't make the deadline :P oops! Well, here it is now!_

_That Guest Person: 8-bit Turbo IS cute lol I have 3 shirts at home with him on it in that form :P And glad you liked that one-shot, I didn't realize how creep-tastic it was until people started commenting lol! But yeah I don't think I could top that, I liked how I left the ending open to interpretation for how things would go. You pretty much hit the nail on the head though with why he did what he did._

_jabootsy25: LOL Disney cruise! I've never even been on a cruise before but that's not a bad idea!_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I decided to go with Vanellope to race with since, let's be honest, I wanted to check out her glitch-teleportation power during a race. Also, I wanted to check out the Go-Kart Bakery mini-game so I opted to do that instead of going with her own kart, which of course was the one that she had made with Ralph in the film. I picked one that reminded me of a convertible Volkswagen Beetle (I love those). Since this was all player-controlled, I had to do everything myself of course with Vanellope bouncing around waiting on me to get done. I got most of the "good" ingredients into the mixing bowl and did the oven part right. But the next part was my favorite: decorating!

I opted for a spring-green coat with some Mentos wheels, then put some white polka dots all over it. I thought it looked cute anyway. I don't think Vanellope liked the kart style but oh well! It might have suited one of the more girly-girl racers.

"Hey, do y'all still do that pay-per-play thing that Turbo had set up?" I asked right before the race began.

Vanellope looked behind the kart so she could see me. "Nah, he just did that so _I_ couldn't join. I mean, come on, why would the game developers install a set-up like that when the players can't even see it? I don't think they go into _that_ much detail for games like mine." She put her goggles on over her eyes. "Besides, what would happen if someone never won a race and ran out of coins?"

Good point. Oooh the race is starting! Wheee!

**Five Minutes Later...**

Wow I seriously suck at racing games...but I already knew that. I'm only in fifth place! Jubileena, Snowanna, Swizzle and Adorabeezle are behind me but Swizz is hot on my tail. Rancis was directly in front of me and I _swear_ I was seeing him look in his side mirrors to check Vanellope out. I wonder if he knows about Vanellope's fangirl crush on Sonic the Hedgehog. Of course I don't know if she's changed her mind by now, kids don't usually keep crushes for very long I don't think.

Anyway, I kept wanting to hit a floating box thing with the power-up items in them so I can do Vanellope's special move but I wound up missing the darn things. I also kept slamming the poor girl into the sides and I had to slow down a lot when going around curves where there was _not_ a wall for me to keep from flying over the edge. I couldn't help but think Vanellope was thinking to herself what a horrible driver I am.

Darn! Swizzle and Jubileena just passed me up! Ugh...oh wait, I see another floating box thingy! I tried to speed up so I could get one but...alas. Jubileena got it and she got something that allowed her kart to spill out cherry juice so it would act like an oil spill and make me swerve into a wall. It took me a while to straighten Vanellope back up, all the while I was sooo embarrassed at my horrible skills.

Oh great, now I'm in last place. I never made it back into a higher rank and crossed the finish line about a minute behind Adorabeezle. Even though the little candy audience members were still cheering for me, I felt like an idiot for even thinking I could win at this. I'd done better with Felix's game!

"It's okay, just remember that I didn't even know how to _drive_ when I first started!" Vanellope said to cheer me up.

"Yeah, but you picked up on it after only a couple hours at the most and wound up in first place and saving your game," I reminded her in turn, still feeling crummy.

"Yeah that's true...oh well, you can play again now that you've played it once and have a better understanding!"

I smiled a bit. "Okay, if you say so."

_Sigh._ I wish Turbs was the same size I am (like he normally is) so he could play with me, even if he'd be winning. I wonder what he's doing?

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

"Turbo, PLEASE come out."

"No."

"You can't stay in there forever."

"Wanna bet?"

I had barricaded myself in Felix's bathroom, currently sitting on the toilet with my arms crossed and glaring at the door in the front of me. NO, I'm not doing anything besides just sitting here, you freaks. I wouldn't be narrating something like THAT. Gross.

The little dork handyman was trying to persuade me to exit the bathroom but I wasn't going to. I'm too mad right now to do anything but sit in here and be crabby.

"Felix, why are you talking to your bathroom door?" I heard some lady say. It wasn't the wife, that crazy soldier lady, it was someone else. I'm assuming it was one of those Nicelander people that live here also.

"Oh, it's not the door I'm talking to, Mary," Felix explained out loud and confirming my suspicion that it was one of the Niceland people. I've heard Blondie mention...nope, not talking about her right now. Too mad.

Another voice, this one a whiney and rude male, piped up. "He's saying that our resident idiot, Turbo, has locked himself in there and Felix is trying to get him out!"

I heard some sharp banging on the door, enough to make the knob jiggle.

"Now see here, you stop hogging Felix's bathroom and come out this instant!"

I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth. "Go away!"

"Gene, I don't think that's going to work..." I heard Felix say in a quiet voice as if I couldn't hear him. "Um, why don't you guys leave and I'll do this myself, okay?"

He always acts so nice but I know deep down he has to be annoyed with these little ankle-biters. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind having a large following of diehard fans like Fix-It does but even I have to admit that I wouldn't want them all up in my business 24-7. Anyway, I heard some quiet knocks on the door after a few minutes.

"Turbo, are you upset about your friend?"

If it were possible to literally throw daggers from my eyes, I'd be doing it. "What makes you think that?" I snarled, crossing my arms tighter if that was possible.

"You running in here after she started playing _Sugar Rush_ was a big hint."

Little smart aleck.

"Are you jealous?"

He didn't say it like he was trying to rub it in. It sounded like a legit question. I huffed a bit but didn't make any other moves. "What do YOU think?"

"I think you need to see things from HER perspective," he answered me. "I mean, granted, I don't know her that well at all but she's a huge fan of the MOVIE as a whole, isn't she?"

I chewed my lip in consideration. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Well, in that case don't you think she's a little excited about being here then? I mean, not to sound rude, but you're not the only thing in the movie she likes even if you might be her favorite."

"I AM her favorite," I corrected him grumpily.

"Okay okay, take it easy." He sounded like he was patronizing me but I let it slide. "Just remember that she's never been here before and is having fun. This is probably Dream Land to her. At the end of the day, she still goes home with you and you two spend a lot of time together as it is anyway. No sense getting jealous because she isn't paying you any attention for a little while."

I was thinking perhaps he wanted to add something along the lines of "remember what happened LAST time you got jealous" but since he didn't say it out loud, I don't know for sure if he thought it. I suppose he DOES have a point. Still don't like her playing _Sugar Rush_ though. Maybe if she could play as ME, I'd be okay with it. But alas.

"Are you going to come out of the bathroom now?"

I sighed then felt kinda funny. Oh great. I cracked the door open and held out my hand. "Hand me a magazine or something."

If I'd been able to see Fix-It's face, I'm sure it would have appeared confused but he went and did what I said anyway. I closed and locked the door back and saw that he gave me a _Good Housekeeping_ magazine. Good grief! I really wish I had one of my car magazines.

Wait, why are you guys still here? Buzz off. Can't a guy get some privacy?

* * *

**"Blondie's" POV**

It took me another couple rounds of gameplay but I finally got the hang of the track. I had ended up in fifth place last time and now I had gotten in second place behind Taffyta and I only had a little ways to go before getting to the finish line. Still hadn't had a chance to use Vanellope's special ability yet but I was determined. I saw a few floating boxes up ahead and saw my chance. I shakily aimed the kart at one and...

Woo-hoo! I finally got one! Vanellope went all blue and pixelated for a few moments and "glitched" herself right through Taffyta and crossed the finish line! First place, woo-hoo!

"Yay, I did it!" I cheered myself, grinning ear to ear as the animation played where Vanellope got her trophy.

"Pffft, you just got lucky," Taffyta muttered afterwards as the screen reloaded.

I hate her. But she had a point. Funny how her catchphrase is "Stay sweet!" when she isn't sweet at all.

I glanced over at Felix's game to see if I could see Turbo but he wasn't there. My happy face fell a little bit when I realized he hadn't seen me win. I guess he must've gotten mad that I was playing with Vanellope. _Sigh. _Ralph and Felix were clapping and other such congratulatory activities though.

"Where'd Turbs go?" I asked, walking over there about halfway to where I could see them.

Almost if I had spoken the magic words, the penthouse entry doors swung open and a rather bored looking little Turbo walked out heading towards the left where the other two men were.

"What the heck have you been doing this whole time?" I wondered out loud.

He threw what looked like a magazine at Felix, who stumbled a bit to catch it. "Well, for starters, I learned that salmon was popular in the 19th century and also during the 1950s." He turned to face me and continued giving me that half-lidded bored look complete with frown and an arm cross. "Can we go now?"

"That'll be a negative!" I heard the commanding, unmistakable voice of Sgt. Calhoun coming from _Hero's Duty. _I'm surprised she didn't give commentary while I was playing _Sugar Rush_, seeing as how the games are facing each other.

I backed up a few paces so I could see her in all her gear. "If you think you're going to waltz in here and not give _my_ game a shot, you're sorely mistaken!" She jutted her finger down towards where the quarter slot would be. "Cough up the change, missy!"

Well heck, why not! Might as well kill a few cybugs while I'm here!

"Nooo!" I heard Turbs begging me and I looked back at the _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ screen and saw him giving me the 8-bit equivalent of puppy dog eyes. I felt kinda bad just leaving him behind but it's not like I had a choice. And it isn't like it was physically possible for me to give him a hug either. I walked back over there and gave him a smile.

"You don't have to stay in there, you know. Why don't you go do something else to pass the time while I'm busy?" I decided to add, "Oh, I actually got first place for once!"

He sighed and his eyes looked downwards but he gave me what probably would've been a forced grin if I could have seen all his facial features in more detail. "Good job," he said, giving me a thumbs up.

I gotta say, it was kinda cool getting an 8-bit Turbo thumbs-up like in the movie. I then saw Vanellope pop up all of a sudden in _her_ 8-bit form beside Ralph.

"Come on, Turbutt, you can hang out with us!"

I heard a groan right before leaving to go to _Hero's Duty_. Ahh, he'll survive!

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

Not fifteen seconds went by after Blondie bid me goodbye did the little candy brat start dragging me by my sleeve over to the little train that leaves the game. I really would rather be alone and sulk some more but WHATEVER. That's when that little pixelated turd, Gene, showed up wearing this annoying smirk that I felt like slapping off.

"Pfft, yeah like she'd want to hang out with YOU after being around all of US all day!" he said to me mockingly, referring to Blondie of course. "Why the codes she'd WANT to be around you is a mystery enough!"

I jerked my sleeve out of Vanellope's grip and glared at him. "You don't know anything about her so just shut up."

"I know she must be brain damaged if she chooses to actually let YOU come back home with her after today!" He crossed his arms and looked "thoughtful". "Or maybe you brainwashed her into liking you because that's the only way you'd ever get anyone to even bother with you."

I heard an array of gasps from around me but I didn't bother to see who all was even around. I furrowed my brow and gritted my teeth, the desire to punch his lights out consuming me. How DARE he insinuate such a thing!

"First of all, that's impossible because humans don't have memory boxes to hack into," I stated matter-of-factly in a tense, controlled voice. "Second, even if they did, I wouldn't HAVE to convince her to like me because she's a genuinely nice person that doesn't judge people and believes in second chances... unlike SOME people around here."

"Oh yeah, sure, call ME out just to make yourself feel better," he retorted back, a snide smile growing on his face. "Ha! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you sounded like you had FEELINGS for her but we all know that's impossible because you're 'scripted' to not care about anybody besides YOURSELF."

He said "scripted" as if he didn't believe that it was the reason that I, or any of us, did and said the things that we...well, did and said.

I was so...FURIOUS...that I couldn't even think of anything to say. I felt myself trembling all over and my face hurt from having it in a scowl for so long. I wanted to punch him right in his ugly little mustachioed mug...but I didn't. THAT would've been what he wanted me to do. Can't kid a kidder.

I MIGHT have gave him an ugly hand gesture though, and it was definitely not "Rated E for Everyone". I marched off after that, not even bothering to let anyone get a word to me edgewise and plopped myself in the little train. Even_ Sugar Rush_ would be better than being in HERE now.


	43. Off to Litwak's! Part Three

_That Guest Person: I can give a Taffyta a pass because of what Turbo did but I still get the "mean girl" vibe from her. Definitely my least favorite Sugar Rusher. Gene, I just flat out hate lol. He doesn't even have a backstory or a "trigger event" to blame for his actions. At least Turbo has freakin' RoadBlasters to base HIS start of darkness with. I DID read Cupcakes *shudders*...I gotta say though, it was actually well-written and Pinkie's character was so spot on that I could easily imagine her doing that stuff! I was admittedly not much of a Pinkie fan before, but that kinda helped ruin her for me. I only like her in small doses lol; I'm more of a Fluttershy fan since I can relate to her. And do you post your comics/drawings anywhere? I'm kinda curious to see them now :P And the only places I can find Turbo merchandise is redbubble and etsy. My hoodie and my beaded bracelet are my favorite things XD Disney Store does have King Candy stuff though, also I have a Funko! Pop Vinyl figure of him. _

_jabootsy25: I have future plans involving Gene ;) *evil laugh*_

_apple: lol yeah he WOULD be the jealous type! :P_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**Turbo's POV**

Don't ask how everyone was reacting to me walking through the GCS towards _Sugar Rush_ because I wouldn't know what to tell you. I was still seething about what that little twerp Gene said to me. What does HE know? Nothing, that's what. He doesn't know Blondie at all so he can just shut it. The nerve, talking about her like that. It's none of his business anyway.

Before I knew it, Vanellope and I were in _Sugar Rush._ Yeah, believe it or not, the kid was actually still with me. Though I gotta admit, seeing this place again for the first time since our movie ended and before I got sent to Disney World was kind of refreshing. It was like going back to familiar territory, since this is where I spent most of my time as far as the movie's events go. The air smells sickeningly sweet here but it doesn't take too long to get used to. I could use a snack actually, Fix-It had NOTHING in his fridge. What kind of married guy doesn't have anything in his fridge?

"Turbo, are you okay?"

I almost forgot that Vanellope was with me since she hadn't said a word the entire time we'd been walking over here. Not that I blame her, since I'm not in the best of moods. I looked down a bit at her looking at me with this pitying expression and it made me cringe inside. The idea of her showing me any form of pity really aggravates me, I don't know why but it just does.

"Why do you ask?" I wanted to know as we headed on down the road. Why the heck she didn't take her kart with her, I don't know. Maybe she needed the exercise. When your diet consists of strictly sugar, exercise is essential.

"Ga-doi, 'cause Gene the Mean was talkin' smack about your girlfriend!"

I stopped dead and glared at her. "My WHAT?"

She rolled her eyes at me and did that "pbfft" thing. I think it's called a "raspberry" but why it's called that, I have no idea. There's nothing remotely fruity about it.

"Did the Real World scramble that pixelated brain of yours?" she asked me while doing the "crazy" gesture by her ear. "It's soooo obvious you two like each other, so why don't ya just tell her and get all the tension out of the way!"

I scowled and looked away from her, continuing my walk. "It's not that easy, kid. Adults are weird and like to make things difficult. Especially the FEMALE ones."

"What's so hard about saying that you like someone?" she asked, throwing her arms up over her head. "All you gotta do is go up and be like 'hey I like you, do you like me?' and then you go on a date and kiss and stuff and be happy. How is THAT difficult?"

She did make it sound easy but then again, kids always simplify things.

"Are you scared she doesn't like you back?" she pressed on. "I'm pretty sure she does."

Hearing that said out loud was almost like getting slapped by a hot iron. "Can you PLEASE stop talking?" I spat out, trying to put some space between us.

"Don't let that Gene jerk get ya down." Sheesh, is she ALWAYS a chatterbox? "He's always pushing everyone's buttons. He even said that I was stupid for being friends with Ralph because he was a big smelly bad guy." She got this aggravated look on her face upon saying that. "And he said FELIX was stupid for still being happily married to someone he was 'scripted' to fall in love with."

"Okay, OKAY!" I exclaimed, pressing my hands against the sides of my helmet where my ears would be at if I wasn't wearing my helmet...that sounded confusing. "He thinks everyone is stupid except HIMSELF!"

She grinned at my outburst. Weird kid. "Yeah, exactly!" She patted my elbow like I was some puppy. "I knew you'd get it eventually."

"Get WHAT eventually?"

I jumped when I heard an unexpected voice from behind me and turned around to see Candlehead with her dopey little smile. Great. Another sugar brat to deal with. I never even dealt with them during my kingly days because I liked doing my own thing. So all you people that like to think that Taffyta was my favorite racer and gave her special attention, well guess what, I DIDN'T. Why? Because I was my own favorite racer, that's why. I crashed an entire game full of racers that were as good as me or better, why would I give special attention to that little snot-nosed brat for being second best in this game? Pfft.

"Turbo likes that chick that was playing our game!" Vanellope blurted out while I was momentarily distracted by my own mental rambling.

My jaw dropped and my brain started sputtering for something to spit out. How...how DARE she just say it out loud like that! That little-

"OOOOH, you should get her some ice cream or some cake!" Candlehead suggested excitedly, bouncing up and down. "Girls like that stuff! And you should hold her hand! Yeah, we like that too!"

Her face fell and she became thoughtful looking...a strange look for her. "I THINK we like to hold hands...I've never held hands with anyone before...eww what if your hands get all sweaty?" She stuck out her tongue in disgust for a moment before getting all bright-eyed again. "Hey do you wanna race with us?"

Race? RACE?

I pierced my eyes into hers with as much intensity as I could muster while towering over her. "YES. I WOULD like to race, that's a pretty obvious answer, wouldn't you say? However, it would appear that I am without a vehicle at the moment so that's a rather rude question!"

"But we can MAKE a kart for you!" she suggested cheerfully, completely oblivious that I had gotten cross with her. "At the Go-Kart Bakery!" She gasped in an exaggerated manner before adding, "OOOH, maybe if you make a kart, then your friend can pick you to race with!"

That was a stu-...wait...that actually wasn't a bad idea. That would be turbo-tastic to be honest! Since_ TurboTime_ isn't around for Blondie to play, the least she could do was pick me to play in _Sugar Rush_! Huh, maybe coming in here wasn't a complete waste of time after all.

I saw Vanellope give a pained expression. "Er...I don't think that would work," she said slowly while twisting her fingers around the drawstrings of her hoodie. "He's not on the roster and if he WERE to get on there, it might screw something up. I mean, he's not even technically a _Sugar Rush_ character anymore since the game reset so even if he were to cross the finish line to get on the roster, he more than likely wouldn't show up."

And just like THAT, whatever hint of a good mood that had begun to surface had broken.

"Gee, you guys are REALLY making me feel better," I mumbled, taking a seat on a small jawbreaker growing out of the ground.

"Thanks!" Candlehead chirped, looking might proud of herself. I take it she doesn't understand sarcasm.

Vanellope raised a brow at her then turned her attention back to me. "Didn't mean to bust your bubble." She threw in a grin and added, "But you have a REAL car back in the Real World! That's pretty awesome! And going for a drive with the real Turbo has to be more fun than just controlling him on the other side of a game screen!"

Well, she has a point with that one. And I guess I appreciate her trying to cheer me up. To be honest, that's what she's been trying to do since I got here so maybe she isn't as annoying as I assumed she'd be.

"Thanks, kid," I managed to smile a little bit. "You're not so bad."

"You're not either!" Vanellope smiled back.

Somehow, being told by the person whose life I made miserable for so long that I wasn't "so bad" kinda perked me up a bit. I guess she wasn't kidding when she'd said she thought of me as part of the family.

"I still say you should just tell her," she added with a sly grin.

I rolled my eyes. Blondie would FREAK OUT if I just up and told her that without warning. Nope, gonna keep doing it my way. Might be slower than what most people would do but it'll get there...eventually...

"OOOH, you should bring her something back as a gift!" Candlehead blurted out. "Since she didn't get to come inside here!"

This kid might not be the brightest candle on the cake but that wasn't a bad idea.

"Yeah, but what?" I asked unsurely. "There's a kazillion things I could bring. And not candy, it would just get ruined or something in my pocket."

Vanellope stroked her chin and looked up to the sky in thought for a minute then snapped her fingers. "I have an idea!" She grabbed my sleeve and started dragging me back out of the game. "I'll even help you with it!"

"What IS it?" I demanded to know, not sure what I was getting myself into.

"I'll tell you in a minute just COME ON!"

* * *

**"Blondie's" POV**

I have only one thing to say. Okay that's a lie, I have more than one thing to say but...the intro music to _Hero's Duty_ is _kick-butt_! Man, I got so revved up just listening to it! I stood there with my fake cybug blaster ready to rock and roll, though I still had a butterfly feeling in my stomach from nerves. Hopefully I would pick up on playing this game faster than I did _Sugar Rush_. The voice over of who I assume is General Hologram came on giving the miniature backstory of cybugs being an experiment gone wrong.

Woo-hoo the doors are opening and Calhoun's barking instructions at me just like she does in the movie with "Moppet Girl"! Eww eggs, _blast blast blast_! You know, I wonder how the cybugs know to lay the eggs right there in the opening scenes? I mean, they don't think like everyone else does and do random activities so how do they know to do the same things in the game each time? What if Calhoun is giving the player instructions to kill the eggs yet there aren't any eggs there?

Maybe I'm putting too much thought into this.

All right, I made it past where Ralph had gone in the movie, right when the doors to the tower open and all the cybugs come flying out at you. Whoa! Those things are kinda freaky! The game screen is like a big flat-screen television and what with me standing in such close proximity to it, these bugs are rather huge!

Calhoun screaming at me to aim and shoot is rather nerve-wracking, I must say, and those cybugs don't mess around. They're all flying towards me and I'm admittedly having a little trouble aiming at them when they are going so fast. I think I saw Markowski having a panic attack to the side of the screen.

"Ahh, this was easier when it was just eggs!" I said out loud to no one in particular just as I blasted a cybug to kingdom come.

"No one said this was going to be _easy_!" Calhoun yelled at me, breaking her usual memorized speech routine. "If it was easy, there wouldn't be trained soldiers like myself cleaning the place up!"

I'm getting tired of everybody always being correct. "Fictional" characters are so _sassy_ in real life!

Ahh, but more cybugs! _Blast blast blast!_

* * *

After a couple of hours, it was time to head back. I felt sad leaving everyone but I _did_ have fun playing all the games! Even if I'm not the best gamer in the world, I don't think I did as bad as I thought I would. I ended up playing _Sugar Rush_ again, this time with Candlehead since she's my favorite, and I got second place with her. I wish _TurboTime_'s game cabinet was still around but who knows where _that_ is, if anywhere. I would've loved playing that one, of course.

Anyway, soon as I saw Turbs, I gave him a big hug. It was weird having him around but not to where I could see him, if that makes any sense. I don't think Mickey really expected me to do that since he had this kinda bug-eyed look on his face but whatever, he can think what he wants.

Turbs didn't seem to have too much to say right off the bat so as soon as we got home I was yakking about my day, which was unusual for me since I'm not one to do that.

"It was so cool seeing everyone! And playing all the games! Even though I wasn't too terribly good at them. I wish I could've visited the place in person and seen _everybody_. But I think I liked _Sugar Rush_ best, no offense. I wish you could've seen the kart I made, even though I don't think you would've liked it because it wasn't red. I should've asked you to bring back some candy for me since I didn't get to go in person. _Anything _would've been to have actually."

He perked up at that and dug in his pocket to pull something out. "Oh, I got most everyone to sign a napkin from _Tapper_ for ya." He looked kinda shy for a second. "It was Vanellope's idea. She helped...a little."

My eyes went big as he handed it to me. "Really?" I asked in stunned disbelief. "Wow, even Surge Protector signed it!"

It was a crammed napkin full of signatures from pretty much everyone that had any significant role in the movie. Besides, the "core four" (as the fandom calls them) and Surge, there was a signature by all the Sugar Rush racers, Sour Bill, Wynnchel and Duncan the donut cops, Kohut and Markowski from Hero's Duty, Tapper, I think Felix had to have signed for Q*bert since he has no hands, Zangief, someone signed for Clyde, Zombie, a few other Bad Anon people...

"Wow this is great!" I exclaimed happily, giving Turbs another quick hug. "Thanks!"

He gave me a grin and said, "Glad you like it." His smile fell a little when he added, "Too bad you couldn't have played _my_ game."

"Yeah, I know," I replied, thinking the same thing. I beamed at him and said, "Well, you probably wouldn't have liked me crashing you into a wall or something every five seconds."

He let out a little laugh at that. "Yeah, true."

"Plus I get to see you all the time, and I'd rather have that anyway," I smiled at him, feeling bashful after I said it. "Oh, you didn't tell me how _your_day was. I was just blabbing away about mine. Did anyone give you a hard time?"

He was going to say something but the phone rang and cut him off. Turbs coughed a bit and went to the kitchen to grab a soda while I got the phone. Oh, it's Sis, wanting to know what the world of _Wreck-It Ralph_ was like. Might be a while, so I'll just spare you guys the phone call and catch ya later.

I never did get an answer out of him.

* * *

_Thanks to everyone that voted on my poll, "Who's your favorite Wreck-It Ralph secondary character?"! As I'd expected, Sour Bill won with exactly half the votes (32 votes total). Surge Protector, the TurboTime Twins, and the cybugs all got 4 votes each. Calhoun's team got 2 votes and General Hologram got one vote along with the Nicelanders (minus Gene). No one voted for Gene (haha!) but no one voted for the two donut cops either (sniff sniff). _

_New poll up now on which version of Turbo you like best so go vote! :D_

_(Not entirely sure when the next chapter will be up :/ hopefully soon lol)_


	44. Secret Phone Call

_That Guest Person:__ aww man, I wanted to see some art XD oh well! I can't draw so I like to look at other people's. And I don't think Applejack's a background pony, I don't know why people say that :/ _

_Anon: Well thank you! :D that is very nice of you to say!_

_jabootsy25: wow that's turbo-tastic of you to do! thanks! :D haha, "if ya liked it then ya shoulda put a ring on it", that song's in my head now lol.  
_

_ShayCandyBar714: lol no, you're not crazy, I like those two also :) and I watched "Party of One" after reading Cupcakes as well and was soooo freaked out! :O Yes I do like Epic Mickey, I just haven't had time to finish it lol. I just started the Lonesome Ghost section right after you defeat Captain Hook._

* * *

_**Secret Phone Call**_

_?: Heed my words, Mickey, this is going to end up trouble for all of us._

_Mickey: Aw shucks, what do you mean? He seems pretty adjusted in the Real World._

_?: THAT'S the problem. He's getting too comfortable...especially with the girl._

_Mickey: Well they DO live together, they were bound to wind up being friends._

_?: It's more than that. He's...he's in love with her._

_Mickey: Oh don't be ridiculous! _

_?: I'm not being 'ridiculous'. Look, even if you don't believe me, you can't deny that they care for each other. What if something happens to her? He might go nuts and HURT someone to keep her safe. _

_Mickey: I...don't think that..._

_?: Oh, you don't think he would? Think about it. He's a character that, when he wants something, he'll do anything to get it. After he gets it, he'll do anything to keep it the way he wants. Why do you think he went axe-crazy when his cover was blown in the movie? _

_Mickey: I think he was scripted to do that, but..._

_?: If he cares about her, which I KNOW he does, he'll do anything to keep harm from befalling her. ANYTHING. He might even KILL someone if her life were in danger. _

_Mickey: But he can't kill in the Real World! That's forbidden!_

_?: He's a VILLAIN, Mickey. You think he cares about the rules? NO. _

_Mickey: But..._

_?: Fine, I'll prove it to you. You don't think he will? So be it. I'll show you he hasn't really 'changed' and he's just as dangerous as he always was. You'll see.  
_

_CLICK!_


	45. The Frenchman Who Came to Visit

_That Guest Person:__ Out of the "mane six" my top favorites are Fluttershy, Applejack and Twilight (I can never bring myself to add the Sparkle at the end of her name lol). Out of secondary characters, I like the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Discord and Princess Luna (who sadly suffers from being under-used).  
_

_ShayCandyBar714: That does sound like a cool idea! I'd like to hear it :)_

_Guest (silverstarr and I guess your sibling?): Guys guys, PLEASE, I cannot physically update every day lol. And cussing isn't going to make me write faster :P I have a full-time job and an out of town family that I visit every other weekend. As much as I'd like to post every day, I honestly don't have time to even sit down and WRITE every day. So just relax, 'kay? I would say on average I update every 2 days and very rarely over the weekend.  
_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I woke up when someone tapped my shoulder. Of course that "someone" was Turbo and I went through the usual spill where I slowly turn around to face him, having to squint in order to see his face.

"Mickey's at the door," he informed me in a strangely bored tone of voice. I had thought he would be more alert and maybe panicked if Mickey were to come up here unannounced. That led me to believe that he wasn't here for anything important. So…._why_ is he here? I doubt it's for a casual visit. Also, Mickey has a bad habit of not calling people to warn them of impending visits.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes. "He's gonna have to wait five minutes. What does he want?"

Turbs shrugged and replied, "He's got someone with him. I've seen him before but don't recall his name. Another villain."

I woke up more upon hearing that. Another villain? Here? I've got a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Imagine the look on my face when I opened the door to see not only Mickey standing there on my welcome mat but also Gaston. The large Frenchman had one fist on his hip and the other was gripping a small luggage bag that looked like it came from his time period which was…I have no idea. Late eighteenth century? Early nineteenth century?

"No one moves in like Gaston!" he declared with a proud smile, throwing his luggage at me and strolling inside past me in that show-off manner that he walks in. Why does everyone always barge in here like they own the place? Disney characters are so conceited! And I don't mean just the villains either, I mean _all_ of them.

The look I was giving Mickey might have incinerated him into tiny ashes if looks were indeed able to kill.

"What is going on?" I demanded to know as I chunked Gaston's luggage carelessly to the side. Gaston made himself at home on the couch, kicking off his boots and plopping his feet on the ottoman. Kitty hesitantly took a whiff of his feet before squeaking in protest and slinking away in fright to the underside of my bed.

Mickey actually looked a bit sheepish, as if he didn't want to be here anymore than I wanted him here. "Ha, well ya see, Lefou kind of got into a bit of a jam and is going to be out of commission for a short while. The staff at the rehab center is busy enough as it is right now with a few villains going through relapses so I thought it'd be best for him to stay here for a while." He rubbed at one of his ears while looking off to the side. "Since, ya know, people like to pick on him for his mental disability plus you already have some experience dealing with a villain."

He tossed in an exaggerated grin after he finished talking. I still kept my angry face on. "You mean I have to _babysit_?" I growled in annoyance. "For how long? What do I get out of it?"

"Oh should be just a couple of days…maybe. And we'll pay you after I come collect him." He was standing on his toes to see if he could look in my apartment and…be nosey, I guess.

"Uh, what are you doing?" I asked in confusion and more-than-just-slight annoyance.

He kinda jerked as if he'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. Well, duh, did he think I wasn't going to notice him spying inside my apartment when he's _standing right in front of me?_

"Oh, haha, oh nothing, nothing at all!" he hastily answered me, keeping his hands behind his back and grinning stupidly. He gave me a quick wave before stepping back a pulling out his hand-held teleporter gadget. "Haha, have fun!"

"Wait!" I yelled, attempting to grab at him before he disappeared but it was too late. He was gone in the blink of an eye. "That dirty rat."

I walked back in the house and shut the door, glaring daggers at my couch's current inhabitant. So now I've been saddled with another houseguest…this time with one that I don't even necessarily care to have around. Remember, he's mentally handicapped now and I don't know if I have enough patience to deal with this. At the same time, he still has traces of his original personality, which makes it even _worse_.

Turbo had been taking one of his rare quick showers while I was talking to Mickey so when he stepped out and saw Gaston on "his" couch, he was rather confused and maybe a little put off…make that _more_ than little put off.

"What's_ he_ doing in here?" he wanted to know, pointing angrily at the muscular man.

Gaston spread his shoulders back so he could rest both arms on top of the couch and then leaned his head back. "No one relaxes like Gaston."

I ran a hand down my face, already feeling tired thinking about how this whole situation was going to play out. "This is Gaston, from _Beauty and the Beast_. Gaston, this is Turbo from _Wreck-It Ralph_. And if you two don't get along, I might go insane."

Turbs didn't seem to like the idea of sharing the living room with this guy. Can't blame him, really. "But…but that's my _bed_!" he whined, throwing his arms out toward the couch. "I don't want some _dude_ in my bed!"

I shot him a look that said for him to be quiet. "It's not like you're both on it at the same time…and like you'd be able to fit with him lying on it anyway."

"I wouldn't _want_ to fit on it," Turbs growled, crossing his arms and plopping down in a chair by the breakfast bar, the whole while glaring at the back of Gaston's pony-tailed head. "He better not be here long."

"I don't know _how_ long he's here for."

A loud grumbly noise came from the couch at that point and Gaston put a hand across his stomach to rub it. "No one's hungry like Gaston."

Turbo and I looked at each other with similarly exasperated looks. "Is that all he knows how to say?" he asked me while jutting a thumb in our guest's direction.

I grabbed him by his arm and dragged him to my bedroom before turning on the light and shutting the door so Gaston couldn't hear. "Look, he's got mental issues okay?" I explained in a quiet voice. "In _his_ movie, he fell to his death from the top of a castle."

"I think I need to see this movie," Turbo muttered under his breath but I could still hear him.

I punched him in the arm because that was a rude thing to say. "Congratulations, you earned yourself homework. Anyway," I continued, "when he regenerated, something goofed up and he ended up with brain damage. So _yes_, that's all he knows how to say."

His shoulders dropped down and he looked down a little as if he felt bad about what he'd said. "Oh…that would've sucked if when _I _regenerated, I was still a cybug freak." He looked up to think about that for a second. "Then again, it was kinda fun being bigger than everyone and flying around."

I resisted the urge to face palm myself. "Can you please just help me out here and be nice to the guy? I don't need this being more difficult than it already is." For the life of me, I don't know why I added, "Also, he's extremely prone to do anything that anyone dares him to do because he's a boastful show-off that thinks he's better than everyone."

The sneakiest grin appeared on Turbo's face. "Oh, _really_?" He rubbed his hands together as if he couldn't wait to try something. "He'll do _anything_?"

I glared at him and punched his arm again before pointing my finger in his face. "Don't you _dare_ start trouble, you hear me? _Please_, act like an adult, I'm _begging _you."

He sighed and stuck his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts he had on. "_Fine_. But don't expect me to enjoy myself." He waited a beat and asked, "He thinks he's better than _everyone_?"

"Drop it, okay?"

* * *

"Gaston, get in the car."

"No one disobeys you like Gaston."

I smacked my forehead while Turbo chuckled from the passenger seat where he was already plopped down at. "Dude, seriously, you're not staying here by yourself while we go get your food. Now get in the car or else."

"No one is not afraid of threats like Gaston."

Okay, apparently someone's been trying to train him to not listen to people dare him to do stupid things. I have to say, they did their job _too_ well. Now he won't do _anything_ you tell him to do!

"Right, let's try this a different way," I said out loud. "I bet that no one does a good job sitting in the back seat like Gaston."

The Frenchman opened his mouth to speak and then said nothing. He closed it and screwed his eyes up to the sky in thought, stroking his protruding chin with his thumb and forefinger. I began to wonder if perhaps I had confused him by using his own words against him.

He then smiled and proclaimed, with his finger raised high to sky, "No one _does_ do a good job sitting in back seats like Gaston!"

And that was it. He actually crawled in, and he literally had to crawl in because he's got such broad shoulders, and made himself comfortable in the middle seat where his legs would be able to stretch themselves. Huh, maybe bossing this guy around would be easier than I thought it would be.

Once the car was cranked up, Turbo started fiddling with the radio. "Hey, Gaston, you like Metallica? Or Def Leppard?"

I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw the befuddled look on my passenger's face. "No one likes to _kill_ deaf leopards like Gaston..."

Being that he's famous for his proficient hunting skills in his movie-verse, I'm not surprised that he would say something like that….or misunderstand what Def Leppard was. I couldn't help but choke a laugh out.

"No no, it's the name of a music group," I corrected him. "You know, music? You had music in your movie-verse, right?"

Of course I already knew the answer to that, _Beauty and the Beast_ is practically a musical if you think about it, but I wanted to make sure that our brain-injured "friend" understood what I was talking about.

The way Gaston's eyes lit up along with the almost dorky smile that spread on his rugged face led me to believe that he did in fact like music. What happened next….you'd have to have been there to believe it. He put a hand to his heart, closed his eyes and started belting out the lyrics to his own theme song. Yeah, right there in the backseat of my Corolla while driving in a city located in Southern USA. Not saying he sounds terrible, because he actually sings quite well, but it was _loud_. At the same time, it was kinda cool hearing a Disney song being sung to me in person by the original character. Turbo had his hands pressed against his ears and I had to let our windows down in order to keep the sound from echoing in the small space.

The amazing thing was that he could sing the lyrics that didn't require him to say "no one (insert something here) like Gaston". He could say the normal parts too, like for example,"When I was a lad, I ate four dozen eggs every morning to help me get large"; it was insane. Maybe he could say those parts because they were part of his original dialogue and thus it was embedded in his speech ability or something. Who knows?

And hahahaha! My sister would be soooo jealous. I should call her today and let her listen to him talk. She is a huge _Beauty and the Beast_ freak. Even though she doesn't like Gaston, it'd still make her nuts knowing he was here.

"So Gaston, what do you want to eat?" I asked him, hoping it was something affordable and readily available.

"No one craves pheasant like Gaston."

Aaaaand of course he would tell me something that, as far as I know, can't even buy in a store.

I chuckled at his answer. "Haha, yeah we don't exactly _have_ that around here. Um, you like chicken?"

Turbo likes chicken no matter how it's cooked so I knew he'd be happy if that's what we got. It wasn't anywhere near lunchtime yet though so none of the lunch-serving restaurants were open. I'd have to get some from the grocery store and cook it at home, but something tells me that a guy like Gaston wouldn't dig fast food anyway.

The large man sighed and replied, "No one will accept chicken as a substitute like Gaston."

I had to run the sentence in my head a couple of times to decipher that he meant "yes" in response to my question. Wal-Mart is going to be _fun_.

* * *

The Wal-Mart folks had gotten accustomed to seeing Turbo walking around among us. They still thought the whole thing was weird, having a Disney character strolling up and down the aisles, but no one usually bothered us. That said, you should've seen the people react to Gaston being there. His movie's been around for about two decades and also it is one of the most popular ones, so _everyone _knew who he was. _Wreck-It Ralph_ had still been fairly new when Turbo showed up so no one really knew how to react to him. It had taken a little while for his Real World popularity to rise.

People were already swarming the man asking for autographs on the backs of their receipts, their checkbooks, anything they could find. Gaston, being a glory hound, was eating the attention up. He even struck a few manly poses, flexing those enormous biceps of his and demonstrating how he can in fact use his neck muscles to break a belt like he did in the movie.

Turbo, also being a glory hound, didn't look like he appreciated having the attention off of him. I knew he wouldn't try anything criminal, since he doesn't want to risk going back to Disney Prison, but I was still worried about him.

"Lighten up, Turbs," I said to him in a cheery voice, dumping a box of his Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts in the buggy. "He's not going to be here forever."

He had his arms crossed while we were walking. "I don't get that kind of attention anymore," he responded in a low voice. "You notice that? Not as many people ask for autographs or photos like they used to."

I sighed and rubbed him briefly on his back between his shoulder blades. "Well, you've been living here for a while. People around here just got used to you I guess. Besides, Gaston's from a really popular movie that's had a strong devoted fanbase for approximately twenty years."

"I wonder if _my_ movie's fanbase will still be around in twenty years."

I had to crack a smile at that. "Maybe. It'll still be popular with _me_ anyway." I bumped him sideways a little to get him to smile back. "Now quit moping and grab that box of chocolate cake mix on the top shelf for me."

* * *

After we'd had lunch, which thankfully Gaston enjoyed even though he ate more than Turbo and I combined, I called up my sister to have her talk to you-know-who. I had to explain to her first that he was brain-damaged so she wouldn't get confused or anything. I put the phone on speaker so I could monitor this conversation.

Gaston: _No one says 'hello' like Gaston!_

Sis: _Oh my gosh, you're really real! (insert fangirl scream here) I love your movie! _

Gaston: _Ha! No one loves my movie like Gaston! Also, no one understands how your voice comes out of this device like Gaston…_

Me: _It's a telephone. It lets you talk to people that are far away._

Gaston: _Ahh….no one understands that like Gaston!_

Sis: _(laugh) So Gaston, you have a girlfriend or anything?_

Gaston: _No one has as many fangirls as Gaston!_

Me: _The chicks in Wal-Mart were all over this dude. _

Gaston: _Because no one is as beautiful as Gaston. No one even comes close to being better than Gaston._

I could see Turbo out of the corner of my eye giving him dirty looks throughout this conversation. I will make the educated assumption that he doesn't like that Gaston is boasting about being the best since, in Turbo's head, _he_ is the best.

Sis_: You don't still try to talk to Belle do you? I mean, she's a married woman and all._

Gaston: _No one is forbidden from speaking to her like Gaston._

Me: _Oooookay, I think we need to go now. Say good-bye._

Sis: _Bye, Gaston!_

Gaston: _No one says good-bye like Gaston!_

* * *

Let's just say I was pretty tired today. I was forced to get up early and cater to the needs of a pretty boy against my will. Though admittedly it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Gaston already knew how to work a shower and other indoor plumbing type things because of his time at the rehab center so I didn't have to worry about that, even though of course he took a long hot shower. Ugh. What is with these Disney villains and long hot showers?

Oh well, surprisingly the hot water was still available when I went in to take my own quick shower and since I knew that it would be a while for it to heat up enough for Turbo to take _his_ shower, I went ahead and spent extra time in the bathroom. I dried my hair and straightened out the kinks in it so when I woke up it would be easier to fix and then did all my other pre-bedtime rituals. I got out of the bathroom to step into my bedroom and-

"What are you doing on my bed?!"

The giant French guy was sprawled out on his back with his hands behind his head, taking up the _entire_ bed. He had his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face.

"No one is comfortable like Gaston."

I lowered my eyes and put my hands on my hips. "Yeah and no one is getting off my bed like Gaston. Shove off, buster."

He turned his head to look at me with what was supposed to be a charming smile. "No one minds _sharing_ the bed like Gaston."

Okay, eww. I literally shivered with disgust when he said that. Nooooo thank you. Not this girl here.

I tried to force a smile and backed up towards my bedroom door. "Uh….yeah, on second thought, stay there. Sleep tight."

I quickly escaped into the living room and shut the bedroom door behind me. Phew! Turbo was still awake reading one of his car magazines so I went over there and plopped on the couch beside him, curling my legs up underneath me.

"I take it you didn't want to share the bed with him?" he asked me without bothering to look at me.

"Don't make me gag," I snipped, grabbing one of the blankets and wrapping myself in it. I always get chilly after taking a shower.

Turbs smiled a little bit after I said that before flipping the page. "So where you gonna sleep at?"

I glared hard at him. "Don't act all smug about it. It's not like I have a choice."

"You could sleep on the floor."

"I'm not sleeping on the floor in my own apartment._ You_ sleep on it."

He rolled his eyes but the smile never faltered. "Not much reason to be shy about bunking with me, you know."

My face flushed a bit, knowing he had a point, but still…"Just scoot up or something so I can at least lay down."

"I'm not done reading this."

"Read it later."

"And do _what_? The water's probably cold for the shower by now so I might as well sit here and keep doing what I'm doing until it heats up again."

I let out a groan and rubbed at my face before letting a little yawn out. He wasn't budging from his spot and…dang I'm really tired. I scooted up next to him closer and rested my head on his shoulder so I could read what he was reading. Of course, it wasn't anything I understood. I don't know a blessed thing about cars except you put gas in them and have to change the fluids every now and then.

He shifted his head to look at me for a moment before turning his attention back to his magazine article. "You wanna go to a NASCAR race?"

I closed my eyes because they were tired of looking at what I thought was the most boring thing in the world to read about. "Do I have a choice?"

"I'd kind of like to see one," he told me, turning the page again. "It'd be more fun if someone went with me. We could make a road trip out of it."

I yawned again. "Fine, whatever. You're paying for it though."

"I was going to anyway."

I could feel sleep taking over me. "When did you wanna go?"

"Before summer ends, if it's not an issue with you. We could go to Daytona where this pretty beach is."

Mental images of chicks in skimpy bikinis and volleyball guys getting drunk entered my mind. "I _hate_ the beach."

"Well I've never been to one and since I'm paying for it, that's where I wanna go."

I mustered enough energy to roll my eyes at the little smart aleck, still keeping my lids closed. "Whatever, do what ya want." I yawned again and then…was out like a light.

* * *

When I woke up, it was pitch black in the apartment so I assumed everyone was asleep. I could hear the faint sound of snoring coming from my bedroom and remembered that Gaston was currently on my bed. Eww. Oh well, I needed new bedsheets anyway. I'll just burn those when he leaves.

You know, this couch is actually pretty comfortable. Wait, where's Turbo at? I'm surprised he didn't sneak a cuddle session on me like he did when we were in Texas. It dawned on me that I'd been tucked in, the blanket wrapped around me snugly and my head resting on a fluffy pillow. That was pretty nice of him to do that. I shifted from my spot and reached a hand down to feel towards the floor. Oh there he is. Huh, I can't believe he decided to sleep on the floor. On the one hand, I'm glad he obeyed my wishes though, on the other hand, a part of me was a little disappointed.

My brother's words came back to haunt me then…about me getting old while Turbs stayed the same as he was now. I felt sad about it all over again and I rolled back over to face the back of the couch, burying my head under the blanket. Maybe it was better this way. No sense tempting a fantasy that wasn't going to work in the long run. It was a nice thought but let's be realistic here.

I've been in love before so I recognize the signs...but don't expect me to admit anything anytime soon. I pressed my face against my blanket and attempted to smother all my emotions out, only of course all that happened was I went to sleep. Things always look better in the morning anyway.


	46. No One Hates This Movie Like Turbo

_ShayCandyBar714: That DOES sound like a cool fic idea :) I don't have enough knowledge on how everything works in the game though, I'm just kinda doing everything "the easy way" b/c I seriously suck at games XD Is that something you were planning on doing yourself? _

_apple: lol nah he really is brain damaged XD He's just kinda clever with his sentences lol. _

_That Guest Person: Yes, let the bed-burning festival begin! Ehh, not a Celestia fan at all, never was. And honestly, when I first started watching the show, I was shocked at how fast the Nightmare Moon conflict got wrapped up. I thought it was going to be a season long story arc lol. I don't know why Luna doesn't get more screentime :/ oh well maybe in season 4! :D _

_jabootsy25: LOL I'm not quite mean enough to do something like THAT XD _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**TURBO'S POV**

I know you guys were expecting Blondie, but she had to go to work. Normally, this would be one of her off days but the idiot that is supposed to be working called in sick and the boss people couldn't find anyone else to fill in. So let's just say she wasn't very happy. You don't want to talk to her, in other words.

And you might be wondering why I didn't crash with her on the couch because, being honest here, I normally would've taken advantage of that. Reason is, I don't trust that Gaston guy...yeah, I think that rat Mickey stuck him here to SPY on us. If that big lug happens to see us engaged in any kind of cutesy behavior, he might blab to Mickey plus every other villain at the rehab center. Not saying I'm ashamed of it or anything, I'm not, but Blondie would DIE of embarrassment if some rumor got started. Besides, that wouldn't be too good for my ultimate plan here.

And I don't think Gaston is quite as mentally challenged as people make him out to be. I think he's smarter than he seems, despite his limited speech pattern.

And I hate him. Oh I HATE this guy. He thinks he's better than everyone else? Please. Everyone knows I'M better.

Oh, what am I doing, you ask? As in, what am I currently doing right now as I mentally ramble to people that supposedly exist somewhere in the Real World?

Cooking.

Yes...I, Turbo, am cooking. What? I can fend for myself, thank you very much. Granted, I couldn't even boil water when I first arrived here so many months ago but I do a decent job now. ANYWAY, so here I was trying to make grilled-cheese-and-bacon sandwiches for myself and Gaston, who was too busy laughing at me to be of any use.

"Hahaha! No one is NOT doing a woman's job like Gaston!" He even bent over and slapped his knee like it was the funniest joke in the world.

I scowled my eyes down at the sandwich as I flipped it over onto a fresh pad of butter, letting it sizzle for a few minutes before plopping it onto a plate with three other sandwiches. I then turned my head towards Gaston and glared at HIM instead, pointing the spatula at him in a scolding manner.

"Hey, don't insult women like that. They might have just stayed in the kitchen or wherever in YOUR movie-verse, but here in the Real World they go and have jobs and make money and stuff." I put the spatula down and started fixing up another sandwich before putting it in the pan. "Heck, even in Disney World, chicks have cool jobs. Like in MY movie-verse, there's one that leads an army of men killing these giant bug things. And then this little CHILD is in charge of-"

I paused when I saw Gaston doing the "blah blah blah" sign with his hands out of the corner of my eye...you know, when people make their hands look like claws and then "open and close" them like it's a blabbing mouth?

"Are you MOCKING me?" I asked him incredulously, blindly slapping my sandwich down on the pan.

He shrugged his shoulders...and they're not THAT big...I bet he just has big bones. ANYWAY, he shrugged and grabbed the plate that contained the four already-made sandwiches and started chomping on one.

"No one mocks you like Gaston," he tried to smirk while having his mouth full and then went to go sit on the couch.

I clenched my fist and debated whether or not I should go beat his head in with this spatula or not. The only reason I DIDN'T was because I wasn't in the mood to get locked up. Mister Ponytail smacked down on his sandwiches that I worked hard to make for him and I shoveled the one that I made for myself onto a plate and grabbed a Pepsi out of the fridge to wash it down with.

"No one is as bored as Gaston," you-know-who casually remarked as he finished off one sandwich. Geez, this guy eats like a...something. He literally picked the sandwich up and INHALED IT. What kind of freak is this guy?

I rolled my eyes and bit into my dinner, even though this moron is making me lose my appetite quick. By the time I was halfway done, Gaston was already through with ALL of his. WHAT THE HECK? Then he wiped his greasy hands ON THE COUCH.

"Hey!" I spat out, nearly choking on the bite that I was trying to swallow. "You can't do that! Get a napkin, ya neanderthal!"

He simply rolled his eyes at me and then threw his plate on the couch. May I remind you guys that this also doubles as my bed? I don't want bread crumbs getting in my sheets!

I cursed silently in the privacy of my own mind as I finished off my sandwich, glaring poisonous daggers at Mister Manner-less. I grabbed his plate with as much hostility as I could manage and grumbled my way to the dishwasher where the two plates found their new home. I then grabbed a bottle of fabric cleaner stuff in a spray bottle a little washrag and scrubbed the area that Gaston had left his greasy fingerprints at. Blondie would KILL someone if this couch got messed up.

"No one is STILL as bored as Gaston!" our uninvited guest declared with a smirk tacked on the end of it.

I stomped my way back to the kitchen to put the cleaner away, put the rag in the washing machine and then wash my hands. "Cry me a river," I muttered under my breath.

I guess he heard me because he said, "No one thinks that's physically impossible like Gaston!"

I slapped my face with my hand. I am SO SICK of this idiot! Making my way back to the living room, I blatantly ignored him as I set up one of my racing games to play in the Wii. "I'm going to play _Speed Racer_ so shut up and don't do anything but sit there and watch," I firmly instructed him as the game began to load.

Gaston stomped his foot. "No one wants to watch a movie more than Gaston!"

Give me a freakin' BREAK. "Yeah? Well, no one wants to play a video game like Turbo!"

He rolled his eyes. "Ha! No one is better at video games than Gaston!"

Is he SERIOUS?! "Heck no, _I'M_ the greatest racer ever!" I pointed at myself to make sure he understood clearly. "You can't beat me at one of these!"

Gaston stretched himself up straighter to make himself look taller than me, despite the both of us sitting on the couch. "No one accepts your challenge like Gaston!"

"No one thinks you're full of bull crap like Turbo!" I jammed the buttons on the controller and chose Trixie for the driver because the idea of Gaston driving a female's car just cracked me up inside, then blindly selected some random trial race. When I was done, I threw the controller at Mr. Braggy Pants. "There! You drive by moving the thing up and down like THIS." I demonstrated for about two seconds without holding anything. "So go ahead, ponytail boy!"

Ha! As expected, the guy sucked. He was worse than Blondie that time we played _Mario Kart _together. Dang, that's been a while. We need to have another "couch potato day" as she called it.

Anyway, ol' Gaston here was getting madder and madder everytime he screwed up, and I was having a righteous time watching him so epically fail. Nothing was pleasing me more than seeing this jerk get owned by a video game. He thinks he's better than me at everything? I beg to differ.

"No one's better at video games than Gaston, huh?" I couldn't resist a taunt. "Yeah, maybe better at SUCKING at them!"

That's when he did something I did not expect. A look of pure rage crossed his face and he let out this deep manly battle cry thing. Before I could process what was going on, he stood up and swiftly grabbed the Wii console in both of his huge hands and RIPPED IT IN HALF. My jaw was dropped. Sparks flew everywhere and the television started glitching up with crazy multi-colored pixels.

I shook the shock out of my system and stood up, throwing my arms out towards the dead Wii. "What in Walt's name did you DO?!" I don't care if my voice got shrill at the end of my exclamation. "That wasn't even mine!" I buried my hands in my hair in a panic. "Blondie's gonna kill me when she sees that!"

The destroyed electronic then started making a tiny fire and I nearly killed myself running to get the fire extinguisher. Thankfully, I was able to kill the fire before it did anything to the carpet. THAT would've been horrible. But now there's yucky foam everywhere. Turbo-freakin-tastic. Oh and what did Gaston do during this travesty? He simply wiped his hands together as if cleaning them off and sat back down!

I needed to think of something to do with the remains of the Wii. Blondie was going to be in a bad mood when she got home, trust me I know this, and she was NOT going to be in a mood to hear about how Gaston destroyed her game system. I know she doesn't really play it all that much, since I kinda hog it, but it's still HERS.

Okay, duh, just throw the thing outside in the dumpster. I'm a moron. That would be the OBVIOUS thing to do, wouldn't it? I glared at Gaston and told him not to move while I ran outside and chunked the Wii in the aforementioned dumpster which was not too far from the apartment building. Man, I'm gonna miss that thing. All those racing games I have and no console to play them with. Maybe we can buy another one. Or maybe get something different so I can play different games. I hear Playstation's pretty good. Or maybe Xbox. I think Playstation has better reviews though. Ehh, I'll just wait a bit for that. I have a REAL car I can drive around in the meantime.

By the time I got in the house, Gaston's sour mood had transformed into that of a giddy child. What is WITH this dude? He nearly attacked me at the door while shoving a dvd cover in my face.

"No one insists we watch this movie like Gaston!"

I snatched it out of his hands and stared at it. Naturally, it was HIS movie. Whatever, I have homework to do anyway.

"Fine, but don't break the dvd player like you did the Wii."

* * *

**How I (Turbo) Felt About "Beauty and the Beast"**

_So we start off with this invisible narrator dude telling us the story of what happened to this prince guy. Sounds boring, but it was actually kinda cool because the story was told through stained glass windows. Though I have to wonder who the heck went through the trouble of making those stained glass windows in the first place. You'd think the prince wouldn't appreciate broadcasting his crappy backstory all over his castle. Anyway, what happens is that this spoiled prince opens the door one day and this old hag is there seeking shelter because there's a crazy snowstorm outside. In return, she would give him her only possession, a fully bloomed red rose._

_The prince does what any sane person would do and doesn't want any disease-ridden creeper in his house and tells her to get lose. And besides, I'd be suspicious of someone having a fully bloomed flower in the middle of winter anyway. Something is unnatural about that. But the hag was simply PRETENDING to be a hag and reveals herself to be a beautiful enchantress with creepy pupil-less eyes. What is with these powerful women turning into ugly ones? It's getting ridiculous. Anyway, she's insulted that he didn't let her come into his crib, so she turns him into a beast and curses his castle._

_Gee, what does she do when she gets jilted on a date? Talk about issues._

_The story says years pass and that the only thing that can cure the prince is if he learns how to love and have that person love him in return. And he has to do it before that rose the fake hag gave him loses all its petals. Gee, it's hard enough learning the love thing as it is, but now you're going to stress him out by giving him a deadline? What kind of nut is this lady? Gee, he just didn't want your nasty leper self in his castle. Maybe you should've showed up in your normal appearance. Why pick on this guy anyway, what did he ever do to you?_

_And does she mean romantic love or just normal "you're my friend/brother/sister/etc." kind of love? There's all different kinds, you know. She didn't exactly specify. He could get a dog, those are easy to love and they naturally love everyone so PROBLEM SOLVED. But no, this is a FAIRY TALE, so naturally it has to be the romantic kind._

_So then we finally get to our main heroine, a peasant girl named Belle...and I know that's her name because everyone in the town is singing about how weird she is because she likes to read books. Yeah...that makes you REALLY weird. I mean, by Walt, there must something mentally wrong with her because she dare pick up a book and actually enjoy herself. Who cares what she does in her personal time; they need to mind their own business. Oh and here's our "friend" Gaston now...and they just showed him killing a goose. They actually showed something die in a Disney movie. Unbelievable. His idiot friend who I'll just call Fanboy, because that's essentially what he is, is with him and thinks Gaston's nuts for wanting to marry Belle. See, because she's the most beautiful woman in town and since he deserves the best, he thinks he has to have her. Like she's some trophy to be won._

_Look, I know I'm kind of a selfish jerk sometimes and act spoiled, but going after a chick just because you think you deserve her is a bit twisted. Never mind how SHE feels, just go ahead and stake your claim on her. And no, that's not how I am with Blondie, I'm not forcing her into anything. Okay except that one cuddle session, but at least notice that I normally keep my distance._

_Crap, I have a feeling I'm going to have severely edit this thing before letting her read this._

_Right, so after Gaston makes fun of Belle's dad (oh yeah, THAT'LL persuade her to date you!), the chick hears an explosion at her house and goes to check on him. Turns out her dad is an inventor of sorts and just put the finishing touches on an automatic wood chopper thing. He wants to enter it in some fair and I guess win some prize money with it, so he takes off with his wagon and horse off into the woods and leaves Belle at home. After awhile, Papa (that's Belle's dad, I don't care about his name) gets himself lost in these dark creepy woods. The horse wants to wisely go down the lit path but stupid Papa insists on going the even creepier way and then has the nerve to blame the horse for it._

_Needless to say, the horse gets spooked and runs off towards a cliff, where they hear the howls of wolves. The horse freaks and throws Papa off of him and takes off running back to wherever he runs off to. So now Papa is all alone with a wolf problem. He runs away and...how can that guy outrun a wolf pack? Is that even possible? Anyway, he conveniently finds this big dark castle and he shuts the gate on the wolves before they can rip his head off. Hmm, a castle...I wonder who lives there...I'm being sarcastic by the way._

_Oh and it's raining now. Because I guess it's foreshadowing DOOM. OOoooOOooh! SCARY!_

_So Papa goes in and sees that the place looks abandoned what with no candles burning (they didn't have electricity) or anyone running around. And yet he still stupidly calls out for someone to help him out. And this is where we get to the really annoying stuff. Remember how the entire castle was cursed and not just the prince? Well, what about the people living there with him, like servants? Well they all got turned into...household objects! Yeah, seriously. I feel bad for whoever became a toilet...if they even had toilets back then._

_By the way, you would think that the villagers would know about a prince living in a castle up in the mountains, right? I mean, not everybody has a prince running around so how come nobody ever even mentions this guy? Papa seems shocked to have found this place. There's no local legend, no folklore on this guy? I would think people would think it odd that their local royal dude suddenly disappeared into a cloud of mystery. And what about other royals in France? Did they just decide to stop sending him letters of business to look at, because that's kind of how I thought royalty worked; they talk to other royals and conduct business. I guess they just magically forgot about him. HOW CONVENIENT._

_Anyway, like I said this is when things get annoying. The freakin' household things start running around and talking and instead of being freaked out by all of this like a sane person, Papa thinks it's INTERESTING. You know, because he's an inventor and wants to learn how they were created. But anyway, they stupidly allow him to sit by the fire in the prince's chair and these stupid teapot things show up to feed him tea and the dog that is a footrest thing shows up too. Papa acts like he's at a theme park or something. What is WRONG with you, there are TALKING HOUSEHOLD OBJECTS RUNNING AROUND!_

_The beastly prince comes along is naturally outraged that his servants are giving attention to some random guy. Gee, you all ended up in this situation because of some crazy lady beating on your door, why in the world did you think that your master would accept MORE strangers? The stupid blabberig servants try to excuse their actions but Beasty isn't hearing it. He accuses Papa of dropping in so he could stare and make fun of his appearance and then drags him off to who-knows-where._

_Meanwhile, Gaston shows back up (I'm sick of this idiot) and he has the BRILLIANT idea of orchestrating a wedding not too far from Belle's cottage. He thinks that after insulting her dad and her book reading, that he can just waltz up, propose, and she'll gladly marry him because he's so freakin' perfect. This guy isn't very bright, is he? So he practically forces his way into her house like some pervert, gets her table dirty with his stinky feet and then he basically tells her how life's gonna be from now on. Yeah, they're apparently going to have six or seven kids...or boys rather because I guess he doesn't like little girls...or maybe he thinks girls are inferior to men. Huh. Well that would explain why he's treating Belle like she's some prize head of cattle instead of a human being._

_Luckily, she manages to get rid of the big oaf but he tells Fanboy that she WILL marry him and then storms off angrily. Wait, he's the villain of this movie and his evil scheme is forced marriage? Laaaaame._

_Belle runs outside after the coast is clear while this pretty music plays and she talks about how she's sick of where her life is and how bored she is and blah blah blah. Don't we ALL want that, honey? The horse interrupts her musical monologue and she seems to immediately understand that her dad's in trouble. So she hitches a ride on him and they just happen to come across the castle with no problems whatsoever. HOW CONVENIENT._

_She goes inside and all the stupid little household people are like "OMG someone's in the castle, omg ooh this is wonderful and it's a girl oh my, that must mean she's the one to break the spell!". Pffft. What if she'd been some homely looking thing? I mean this Belle chick is obviously supposed to gorgeous since her name literally means "beauty". Why couldn't she have been more realistic looking? And by the way, who says that the Beast has to fall in love with a girl anyway? What if he liked other guys? What if some dude had showed up to find their father instead of a hot girl? I bet the household people would say "NO" to that! It's like, once a chick shows up, they get all excited about the curse being lifted._

_And by the way, these little stupid servant people seem like they're only interested in helping their prince out not because they legitimately want him to fall in love, but because they want to be turned back human. They don't really care about the prince guy at all, they're just helping him out for their own selfish agenda._

_But I'm getting ahead of myself here. More on the servant people later._

_So she finds Papa in a dungeon and it turns out he's gotten sick with a cold or something. Beast Boy shows up and gets all angry that there's an intruder in the castle and freaks the girl out. He refuses to let her dad free because that's his punishment for trespassing, even though technically he didn't know he was trespassing at all since the place looks ABANDONED. So get this, Belle comes up with the idea to take her dad's place in prison, err, the dungeon..._

_Okay I'll admit, that was really turbo-tastic of her to do. Sacrificing your own dreams and future to save the person you love._

_Anyway, you'd expect the Beast to think this was a stupid idea but he actually seems kinda surprised and touched by this. Like he's never met anyone that would do something like that before. So that just goes to show that, after all these years of being surrounded by "loyal" servants, apparently none of them have ever done anything to, I dunno, touch his heart or something. Some complete stranger had to do it._

_Also, just the fact that he was touched by this sacrifice of hers at all just shows that he isn't even that bad of a guy. He's just socially awkward and has a temper problem. He doesn't have a problem getting in touch with his feelings, he just doesn't know how to express them and is probably extremely frustrated at the insanity that is his life. I mean, he's got to be stressing out because his deadline to change back into a human is almost up._

_So let me guess, he's going to try and force a relationship on her because "omg I have to have her fall in love with me or I'll be hairy and have claws for hands forever!". Yeah, if he didn't have the stupid deadline thing to worry about, he could probably learn PATIENCE while he's at it. He'd have to wait a couple years for someone to love him instead of just, what, the typical three days like in these other princess movies?_

_Good Walt, that would drive me insane if I had only three days to make someone fall in love with me, people aren't robots you know. They have issues and problems of their own to get over without having to worry about yours too. And you can't just solve the problem by keeping her locked up with you in a secluded place away from outside intervention and then bicker/banter your way into a relationship because that just doesn't work. I mean, geez, if I went nuts and locked Blondie up in a room for three days or however long until she learned to love me, I don't think that would be very genuine, do you? Heck, she'd probably say it just so she could leave. Isn't that a form of brainwashing anyway? I don't know if there's a term for it, but anyway I'm getting ahead of myself again._

_So it's like, the Beast isn't a bad guy but at the same time he's being a bad guy because he's forcing this chick to live with him for the sole purpose of getting her to break his spell. Can't say I actually blame him for taking desperate measures here but why didn't he just kidnap some random chick from the village? Oh wait, is it because Belle WILLINGLY allowed herself to be there and thus he sees potential? Whatever. She only did it because you had her sick dad LOCKED UP._

_Ahhh this movie is making my brain hurt!_

_ANYWAY back to the actual plot of this. Beast Boy doesn't keep Belle locked in the dungeon but instead lets her stay in one of his many suites, and tells her ONE RULE: Don't go into the West Wing. He gives her free run of the place except for that one place. Sounds easy enough. Also, he demands that she come to dinner with him whether she likes it or not. Yeah, that's REALLY going to make her want to be your friend, isn't it? "I want you to love me and fall in love with me so I'm gonna MAKE YOU EAT DINNER WITH ME OR YOU WILL BE VERY VERY SORRY!". Riiiiiight. Good plan there, dude. Have a thumbs-DOWN._

_Meanwhile, Gaston is all boo-hoo because Belle doesn't want him. NO DUH. Funny because there's three blonde chicks running around that seem to worship the ground he walks on so why doesn't he just go for THEM. Does he not like Blondies? Fine, that's perfectly fine with me if he doesn't, so he better stay away from mine._

_Yeah, I'm seriously going to have to edit this thing before Blondie sees it._

_Fanboy and his other Fanboy friends start singing that stupid ego-boosting song that Gaston was singing in the car earlier. I'm starting to wonder if these guys are all in love with this idiot. Wouldn't be surprised. All of a sudden, Papa comes running in begging for help because Belle's locked in a castle with a beast. They all make fun of him and just think he's being his typical nutty self and toss him out. Why do they all think he's nuts? Because he invents things? Kind of a dumb reason to think someone's weird but whatever._

_Meanwhile, Belle gets her own welcome package into this twisted Land of Make Believe and nearly has a heart attack when she sees that all the household people can talk. Of course, she probably has no idea that they used to be people at one point. For the sake of the plot, she quickly gets over this and starts having little chat sessions about her situation and they tell her that things will be okay. HA! Yeah, you're locked up in a castle away from your dad and all but EVERYTHING'S OKAY! BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO FORCE YOU TO FALL IN LOVE WITH OUR PRINCE!_

_Stupid stupid stupid. They don't want to be her friend because she's a good person or anything, they only want to be her friend because they want her to hook up with Beasty. She's not even interested in being friends with him but they're all like "Oh but you MUST or he'll be angry!", well gee what does she care? She didn't ask for any of this. It's called free will people, if she doesn't want it, get over it. Find someone more submissive to boss around. I gotta say, this Belle chick seems like she's got her in the right spot because she's not falling for this crap...yet._

_Let's face it, it's a Disney movie, we all know they're going to hook up sooner or later so obviously she ends buying into this stuff about "oh but the princey is such a good guy!"._

_Anyway, Beast is downstairs waiting impatiently for his captive to show up for a fireplace dinner (how romantic) and his servants keep telling him how he needs to act. Basically, they want him to put on a show and fake being a gentleman so Belle won't think he's so bad. Wow, these guys are all about lying and brainwashing, aren't they? And besides, he doesn't seem to have a problem knowing how to act like one, he just doesn't either feel like it or doesn't have enough patience for it. BECAUSE THAT'S NOT HOW HE REALLY IS. The idiot servants keep wanting him to change himself because that's what THEY want. THEY want to get him hooked up with the first hot chick that comes along so they can get themselves turned back into humans._

_Selfish selfish selfish._

_And if they would just shut up and leave him alone, he wouldn't feel so stressed out about this anyway! He's not an idiot, he even says so himself that he understands he's on a deadline and that it's probably a stupid idea to even try wooing this girl. Oh and they keep going on about how beautiful she is, what about her BRAINS, morons? She's not some pretty bimbo sauntering around for your viewing pleasure, she's got this inquisitive mind and adventurous spirit but no one seems to care about that._

_The clock servant informs the prince that Belle refuses dinner and as expected he gets really upset about this and starts screaming at her through her locked door and beating on the thing. Riiiight, that's really gonna win her over. The servants actually are useful for once and tell him to calm down and he starts putting on this act where he asks her NICELY to come down for dinner, but since she's such a smartie she refuses still. So what does he do? Tells her to starve. Yeah, go ahead, starve your one chance at becoming a human. Because if she isn't going to fall in love with you, what's the point in keeping her around anyway. Pfft._

_And get this, the servants make up their mind after Prince Beast leaves to keep Belle hostage in her room. They don't get ordered to do this, they decide to this on their own free will. Meanwhile, Beast goes into his chambers which is this really trashed up bedroom and OH MY WALT he has a magic mirror! He can spy on her! That's...perverted. What if she was in the bathroom or something when he summoned up her image? Little freak. What is wrong with this movie? She has no privacy or anything!_

_So later on that night, Belle is able to sneak out of her room because the little household servant guy guarding her room is off...having a personal relationship with another household object...oookay. She somehow manages to find her way to the kitchen where CONVENIENTLY everyone is located and they actually have a fight about whether or not to feed her. Because, you know, Prince Beast said not to feed her. Well, gee, they didn't have a problem disobeying him when it came to letting people into the castle, so why can't they disobey him in order to let the girl freakin' eat! What is wrong with this place!_

_We go through an annoying song-and-dance number where, even though the point of this was to FEED Belle, she doesn't even eat anything! She sticks her finger in like ONE thing to taste it but that's it! They still didn't feed her! I guess she's too stunned at the idea of singing-and-dancing forks and spoons to be hungry. Though to be honest, if my dinner started talking to me, I'd lose my appetite._

_She gets some of the household object guys to give her a tour of the place and they pass by the West Wing, the one place she was forbidden to explore. But you know when you tell someone NOT to do something or NOT go somewhere, what do they do? THEY DO IT ANYWAY. Being a curious girl, Belle loses her lame tour guides and goes piddling and rummaging around where she has no business being. She then comes across the magic rose which is protected from the weather elements by a glass cover. Entranced by this, she decides to try touching the thing. Why? I'd be too scared to touch it! What if it had been covered up because it emitted poisonous fumes or something?_

_Instead of getting away scot free with her deliberate disobeying of Beast Boy's orders, she actually gets punished for it. Albeit, a little harshly. Hairy-Scary shows up and starts screaming at her about her possibly ruining things, which he has a point with, but then he goes nutso and starts tearing the place apart even more than it already is and screaming for her to leave. Naturally freaked out, Belle runs for her life and Beasty realizes what a moron he is at letting his free ticket ride back to humanity escape._

_Belle grabs her horse and I have no idea where he was during all of this, but they take off into the woods during this crazy snowstorm. That was kinda stupid but what else are you going to do? The wolves from earlier show up and chase the duo through the woods and Belle ends up getting thrown from the horse and he gets all tangled up and can't escape the wolves. Instead of laying there and dying, she gets up and tries to fight the wolves herself only of course the big strong man, err, beast shows up to save the day._

_He gets injured and collapses in the snow after killing one of the wolves, and yeah there's no way that wolf survived getting slammed into a tree like that so don't even bother trying to correct me, and the other wolves run away. Belle contemplates getting back on the horse and going home like any other person would do but because she's such a nice person she decides to help the Beast go home. And how in the world did she get him on that horse? No really, tell me, he's unconscious and weighs about ten times her body weight, how the heck did she get him up on that horse? Tell me. I dare you to tell me a reasonable answer._

_Belle starts trying to nurse his wounds, and haha he's actually licking his wound like he's a real animal, hahaha! Oh man. So they get into a little banter session where they blame each other for stuff and it gets ended when Belle tells him he needs to control his temper better. Well, you know what, maybe YOU should stay out of his bedroom! Gah, what is the deal here. This people act smart one second and then go dumb the next. Beast Boy lets her finally dress his wound and she thanks him for saving her and he acts all surprised at this and says "you're welcome"._

_AWWWWW._

_This is bull crap. It's like...I locked you up away from your family and everything you've ever known, get mad at you for not cooperating, scream at you for touching my stuff, then injure myself for you and since you're not holding any grudges against me, I guess I'll be nicer. And then she's like, "oh maybe he's not that bad, I mean, I know I'm his prisoner and all and he's the reason I ran out and nearly DIED, but he's not that bad because he SAVED me". Give me a freakin' break._

_In the REAL WORLD, this crap wouldn't fly. You can't just seclude two people in the middle of nowhere who can't even stand each other, keep them away from any outside interference, and then have them get used to each other enough to the point where they start having feelings. That's not falling love, that's just "getting used to you". That's...that's FORCING a relationship. This has got to be the laziest love story I've ever heard. In a different situation, these two probably wouldn't even talk to each other. But no. We have to shove them in an abandoned castle away from everybody else and just sit around and wait for them to get goo-goo eyes with each other. GIVE ME A FREAKIN' BREAK._

_Lazy lazy lazy._

_So you're probably wondering what Gaston is up to. Well, he's sitting here watching the movie with me but in the actual movie itself, he's still at the tavern with Fanboy talking to this creepy corpse looking guy. He comes with this idea to blackmail Belle into marrying him. Why is everyone so into this chick? I mean, yeah there's nothing wrong with her, but gee is she seriously the only decent girl around? What gives? What makes her so "special"? Anyway, the plan is to have Mr. Smiling Corpse guy threaten to lock up Papa in the insane asylum because of his rantings of a beast earlier. Gaston will then come in and have Papa freed from the asylum and look like a hero and what not IF Belle agrees to marriage._

_That's pretty underhanded. So basically Belle HAS to end up in a relationship by the time this movie is over because that's apparently the only thing people think she's good for. It's either stay in a castle in the middle of nowhere and fall in love with Beast Boy or go home and marry Gaston in exchange for her dad's freedom...AGAIN. Gee, Papa can't catch a break, can he?_

_Here's a thought, how about she decide what she wants to do for herself? Why can't she just leave, take Papa, and move somewhere were there's no one to bother them and blackmail her into doing crap?_

_Anyway, Gaston, Smiling Corpse, and Fanboy go to Belle's house only to find no one is there. See, right before they showed up, Papa left to go out and find the castle again on his own...IN THE MIDDLE OF A SNOWSTORM. This is probably going to take him a while seeing as how he has to travel on foot now but anyway, Fanboy is forced to stay outside the cottage until Belle and Papa return...what if they never return? Then what?_

_Back to our "happy couple", the Beast apparently is so astounded that Belle was nice to him the night before that he decides he wants to give her a gift. I forgot to mention earlier that she had said that she liked books and libraries to those two household object guys that were giving her a tour the day before so SURPRISE! He gives her the library. Wow, really? I mean, didn't she already have access to it anyway? Granted, she'd never visited it before but since she had free range of the castle as it was, he just basically gave her something that she already had. HOW ROMANTIC._

_Belle naturally thinks this is the best thing ever because there's books all over the place. I mean, this library is freakin' huge. Oh and then we get this cute little musical number about "Oh he's not that bad, he's just misunderstood! Who cares if he keeps me here locked up, we're having fun playing in the snow!" and he's all like "Wow she actually isn't freaking out around me. My plan is working!"._

_I feel like a broken record by saying that forcing two people to constantly be around each other in order to create a love story, without them even having any interference with the outside world like normal couples do, is stupid. For Walt's sake, and this is only day two or three of her imprisonment? Wow things are certainly speeding up around here! Two or three days is not long enough for people to have any kind of relationship together! These movies are just so dang unrealistic in this! How do I know? Um, did you guys see me and Blondie getting cozy after only two days of knowing each other? NO. It took me a whole month to even begin thinking about lightening up around her. And even longer than that to think of her as a friend!_

_Do you smell that? It's the smell of bull crap that this movie is producing._

_Anyway, so now we get to what is apparently the most famous scene in the film...the ballroom dance. Yeah, they get all fussed up in fancy duds and have this extravagant dinner prepared by the servants and have a romantic dance. Don't get me wrong, this is really pretty and everything but I can't help but feel this is just further brainwashing. "Oh he's so romantic and charming! It doesn't even matter than I'm a prisoner anymore!". And he's all like, "Yeah she is so buying into this stuff. I'll be human again SOON!"._

_Speaking of which, these darn household servant people just keep getting on my nerves. They're trying so hard to make this seem like a normal romantic date but we all know that the only reason they're even having this thing is to try and get Belle to love this guy. Yeah, let's really push the envelope and wow her with this amazing romantic night and she's SURE to fall for you!_

_After there little dance, Beast Boy asks Belle if she's happy with him and she says that she is (why, I don't know) but she looks sad. Beasty asks what's wrong and she admits that she misses her dad and wants to see him. So instead of letting her go see the guy, he shows him to her via magical mirror. Gee, how generous. She finds out Papa is sick and lost in the woods and freaks out. Beasty looks at his dying magic rose thing, seeing that his deadline is coming up and he..._

_Wow, he actually lets her leave. Dang. Even after knowing that he's going to possibly be stuck in beast form forever, he goes ahead and lets the girl leave so she can take care of her dad. Huh. Well, like I said a long time ago when this essay first got started, he didn't seem like a bad guy, he was just angry and stressed out. I mean, he acted like he felt bad for making her dad leave but...you know what, if he REALLY had felt bad, then he would've let her go right then! So NO I take back what I said. He's a jerk._

_Everyone in this movie sucks except Belle and Papa._

_So Beast Boy is all depressed that he let his lady love go and he tells one of the servant people that he let her go because he loves her. AWWW. Wow, after ALL THESE YEARS he finally loves someone...after three freakin' days of knowing her! Dang, he could've fallen in love with ANY random person a long time ago if that's how easy it was going to be!_

_And so what do the household objects do? They don't act sad because the Beast lost his girlfriend like a group of true friends would do. No, they act sad because "boohoo we aren't going to be human again!". See what I mean? They only helped their prince out for their own selfish reasons. They don't care that he just sacrificed his happiness and his own humanity because he finally woke up and realized he was a jerk for keeping her captive. No, they just care about their own darn selves. And later on, they actually start bad mouthing her! Saying that it would've been better if she'd never shown up! Well excuuuse you!_

_So anyway, Belle finds Papa and takes him home, where Fanboy is still waiting for them to come back and he runs off to go get Gaston. Papa gets to feeling better and that's when the annoying talking teacup shows up. He's the son of the teapot lady and he's REALLY annoying. I'm only mentioning him because he's somewhat important later._

_Smiling Corpse guy shows up with the whole village and everyone starts mocking Papa for being a nutjob that hallucinates beast people. They start to drag him towards the asylum wagon when Gaston decides to speak to Belle, telling her his whole marriage deal. As expected, she refuses in disgust and he in turn refuses to get her dad out of this jam that HE orchestrated. Not knowing what else to do, Belle runs in the house to get the magic mirror. Yeah, the Beast gave it to her as a parting gift so she could have something to remember him by. Please. Like she was ever going to forget her three day vacation with a beast-man and his castle of talking objects._

_She summons the image of her furry friend to prove that her father isn't crazy and everyone naturally has a freak out about a supposedly dangerous monster living so close to their village. Huh. Again, how come they don't already know about this mysterious prince guy living in a castle that isn't that far from them? Plot hole? Anyway, Belle starts fawning over the beast about how kind and gentle he is, even though really he was only nice to you for like two of the three days you were there. Gaston thinks that's nasty that she supposedly has feelings for an animal thing. You have to admit, if you heard someone go on and on and about wonderful this animalistic humanoid thing was, you'd probably be grossed out too. Don't lie._

_Gaston grabs the mirror from her and starts spinning a horror story to the villagers about how the beast will eat the children and terrorize the village unless they kill him. I gotta say, if the beast never harmed or came near their village BEFORE, why would he do so NOW? That doesn't make sense. I mean, they never even knew he existed so...whatever. These people are idiots. Belle and Papa get thrown in their cellar and locked up while the village men go after the Beast, using the mirror as a guide and with Gaston as their fearless leader._

_Remember the little kid household object that I mentioned earlier that I said would be important later? Well, he activates that wood-chopping invention that Papa made at the beginning of the movie and drives it straight into the cellar where it busts the door open to free them. Meanwhile, the other household objects prepare for battle against the village men and we get all this slapstick humor stuff, hardy har har. The teapot warns the prince but he says there's no reason for him to fight back now because his humanity ticket is gone and thus he wants to be alone or die._

_Wow, so he's just going to assume that life is going to suck from here on out and allow himself to get killed? That is...so selfish and stupid. He can't handle the idea of living any more in his beastly form and he just assumes that she's never going to come back and visit? He must not have any faith in her which only goes to show that after three days, he still doesn't understand her. And he's just going to let himself die because there's no reason to live anymore. What kind of message is THAT sending kids? If you don't get what you want and your life isn't perfect, kill yourself? WHAT THE HECK._

_So Gaston is the only man left standing after that ridiculous battle sequence and he finds Beast Boy and shoots him with an arrow. Beasty doesn't bother fighting back because "life sucks now". Gah, grow a pair and get up and fight for yourself already! You're so pathetic, dude! Don't just lay there and let yourself get killed by this pretty boy! Obviously, Beast Boy doesn't love himself very much to just give up like this._

_Oh but glory be! The heavens have opened and Belle shows up with Papa on their horse. Beasty sees her and decides "wow she came back! Life is worth living again because my woman is back!" and FINALLY starts defending himself. Okay look, I'll admit I went into a depression stage back when I got thrown back in jail and thought Blondie didn't think much of me, but I wasn't at the point where I wanted someone to just KILL me. Heck, if someone had started trying to do me bodily harm, I would've still defended myself regardless of how she felt about me. This moron here only jumps into self-preservation mode when he has his girlfriend around. That's being a little too dependant, isn't it?_

_Belle runs herself up to the tower while Gaston and Beast continue duking it out. Beast gets the upper hand and comes THIS CLOSE to dropping Ponytail from the top of the castle but after Gaston starts pleading for his life, Beast realizes that he isn't acting very human in committing a murder, so he lets the guy go. Yeah, it's "not human" to kill other humans...isn't that something humans do everyday? Granted, it's not what you are SUPPOSED to do, but...never mind. The point is that he doesn't kill the little freak._

_Belle shows up finally and calls out the Beast's name to get his attention. No seriously, his name is Beast. Didn't you know that? Yeah, unless he just didn't bother telling her what his real name was which seems kinda weird seeing as how "in love" he is with her. Whatever. They have a little lovey dovey moment but things go wrong when Gaston stabs Beast Boy in the back...literally. Gaston loses his balance and falls off the castle to his death where he winds up with brain damage and then comes over here to the Real World to annoy the heck outta me._

_So now the Beast is dying and...oh wait, he does die. Dang. Wasn't expecting that. So now Belle is all by herself and crying and whispers "I love you" right when the last petal of that magic rose falls, signalling the deadline for the curse. HOW CONVENIENT. And wait, was it required that she actually say the words "I love you"? What if she'd been a mute girl? You don't have to say it out loud, you know. Just because you don't say it doesn't mean it isn't true, right?_

_You know, for a curse that only required love to be the spellbreaker, this rose is sure picky. It only wanted romantic love and it demanded you to say the actual words. Gee, what a crazy curse._

_But ANYWAY, since Belle broke the curse before the rose died completely, the Beast magically is brought back to life even though technically when he died he should've just went back into human form anyway like a werewolf. Belle kinda freaks at this because no one ever told her that this place was under a spell, even though she had enough sense to know it was enchanted, and the prince is brought back to his human form. She's a little hesitant to believe what she just saw at first but they end up kissing anyway._

_Oh and this kiss is so darn kiss-tastic that FIREWORKS erupt! FREAKIN' FIREWORKS! Did they even HAVE those back then? Apparently this stupid curse was more specific than I thought because the only reason that the castle and the servants were brought back to their original forms is because of this kiss. Why didn't they all turn back when the Beast was brought back? That makes no sense!_

_So what happens in the end? I guess they get married or whatever and live happily ever after. Belle and Papa live at the castle anyway and everyone's their hunky-dory old selves again. THE END._

_Gah, this movie sucked. Everyone sucked except Belle and Papa. Everybody else was either selfish or childish. Beast kinda flip-flopped back and forth between being decent and being a grouch but oh well. And this movie is POPULAR? WHY? It's about these two people that are forced by plot convenience to fall in love! The only reason the beast did was because she was the first chick to give him the time of day and also because he only had like three days left to bag a girl! She only fell for him because she got accustomed to him and fell for the nice act! He was only nice so she wouldn't be afraid of him! _

_And, oh, it was just SO CONVENIENT that the chick that was going to break his curse just happened to show up three days before your deadline. Pfffft!_

_Oh and that enchantress that cursed him in the first place? Never shows back up to see what happened. What the heck was the point in this then? She just did it for LAUGHS? Where did she go? Did she curse other people? What gives?_

_Just...just...ugh. I hated this. Laziest and most ridiculous love story I ever heard of. This crap doesn't happen in real life. And you're probably thinking, "Oh but you liked Lady and Tramp and you didn't have a problem with the Sleeping Blondie couple!"; well that's because Lady and Tramp weren't forced to be together and had natural chemistry and Sleeping Blondie couple actually had other issues to deal with in their lives besides their crush on each other so just shut up. I hated this movie. The end._

* * *

**_PHEW! This took like three days to write! It wasn't supposed to be THAT long but Turbo just took off on his own and rolled with this. He's got a mind of his own sometimes in these reviews ;) I thought he was going to like it but the further I got into it, turned out he hated it so whatever. _**


	47. The Hottest Day of the Year

_Guest: Yeah, I can't do that, sorry. Mickey Mouse prohibits the distribution of pictures online because of some stupid rule. So all the pictures I have of me and Turbs are considered classified information :P  
_

_ShayCandyBar714: Oh man, I was so glad the day I moved away from home because my mom thought this website was stupid :/ lol, I'm probably the worst collab partner in the world, I can't even think of anything for the one that I'm supposed to do with a friend._

_That Guest Person: lol well, Turbo's views on the movie do not necessarily reflect mine :P I have to really dig down deep into my inner cynic to do these reviews sometimes and over-exaggerate things a bit lol. My sister would kill me if she knew I practically bashed that movie for this story. I like it but it seems the older I get, I like it less and less for some reason. _

_apple: lol yeah he does, but he wouldn't blackmail me into marriage or threaten to hurt my loved ones :P_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"Are you going to get this done sometime _today_?!"

"I've been waiting on this for an hour!"

"I can't access this file! You must've done it wrong!"

"You need to do this over! What kind of professional are you?!"

That's all I heard, plus some, at work all night. I hate doctors...and nurses. _Sigh_. It wasn't like it was _my_ fault that the equipment I use broke and I had to do things the hard way (aka the "long way"). And the stupid jerk that's supposed to fix things refused to show up when I called him on the phone so _whatever_. That's the last time I play "nice" and come in to work on one of my days off.

So let's just say when I got home, I wasn't in the best of moods. Exhausted and aggravated, I entered my apartment in hopes of having a nice hot shower and laying down in my cool bedroom to sleep all day...except something wasn't right.

"What the heck?" I whined out loud as the heat hit me. "Why is it so stuffy in here?"

Turbs was sitting on the couch wearing a pair of long shorts and a white wife-beater top with a fan blowing on him and with a glass of ice water. Kitty was sprawled out on the floor on her back with her paws out, lazily picking her head up at me when she heard me speak and meowed pitifully before putting her head back down.

"The air went out about an hour ago," Turbo explained, not bothering to look at me. He had his eyes shut and drank some more water. "I would've called or texted you but what would've been the point in that if you couldn't leave work to come back up here?"

I am so not in the mood for this. "What do you _mean_, it went out?" I griped as I threw my purse on the breakfast bar and stormed over to the thermostat. I jiggled with the switch and nothing happened. It wasn't even registering the current temperature. "This is bull crap! My cat's gonna get a heatstroke!"

"I put an ice cube in her water bowl so it'd stay cool," Turbo told me from the couch. "She's just been stretching out in random spots on the floor. Mostly the kitchen since it's a smooth surface I guess, and sometimes she gets in the bathtub."

As he was speaking, Kitty was casually sauntering her way past me to go lay on the kitchen floor by the pantry. Poor thing, cats don't regulate body temperature like we do.

"Where's Gaston?" I asked as I headed into my bedroom.

"Beats me. He said it felt better outside so he took off."

Whatever. I wasn't in the mood to deal with him right now anyway. I know he can't help how he acts but _geez!_

First thing I did was take a quick shower and throw on some shorts and a light pink tee shirt. I _hate_ wearing shorts, but I wasn't putting jeans on in this hot apartment. I was too hot to bother drying my hair, unfortunately, so I knew it was gonna look like crap today. Oh freakin' well.

"Let the windows up so the air will circulate in here," I instructed Turbo to do while I went to grab the phone and call the maintenance guy for the apartment complex. Thankfully, he answered right away and he said he'd come right over to check on it. I grabbed some water of my own (yuck, I hate the taste of plain ol' water, I much prefer the flavored stuff) and attempted to pull my damp hair back into a small ponytail. My side bangs were still too short to put behind my ears but I didn't care at the moment.

About ten agonizing minutes later, Maintenance Man showed up in his khaki pants and sea green polo shirt and matching cap with the name of the apartment complex written on it. I recognized him as the supervisor of the maintenance dudes so hopefully that meant he'd get the job done faster. He was also the same one that came by to fix the microwave that time Turbs broke the handle off of it, so he didn't think it was weird that I had a gray guy on my couch. After looking at the unit for a few minutes, Maintenance Man blew out his breath and wiped his brow before looking at me.

"Well, here's the bad news. It's completely blown. But you've been here about five years, and it was here even longer than that so it held out for a good while."

I groaned and put my head down in my open hand. "So I need a new one?"

"I'm afraid so. Luckily I can get one local today. It just might take a while to install the thing." He sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair which was already drenched with sweat. Gross. "I'll have to grab someone else to help me out, so I'd suggest you guys go somewhere else for the morning."

* * *

I was not happy. At all. I had to scoop Kitty up, install her in her little pink harness and leash her up in backseat and drop her off at the kennel so she'd be in some air conditioning. I hated leaving her with strangers in an unfamiliar place, but I didn't really have much choice. The only trustworthy person that I knew that lived nearby that would've babysat her is allergic to cats so that was out of the question. I gave her a little kiss on top of her fuzzy head before putting her in the little kennel thing. Yes, I kiss my cat, you got a problem with that? She has less germs than people's nasty kids so shut up.

Turbo was sitting in the passenger seat with the air blowing full blast in his face, since I was nice and left the engine running while I was inside the kennel. I plopped down in the driver's seat and let out a deep aggravated breath.

"She'll be fine," Turbo assured me as he continued relaxing with the cold air beating on him. "It shouldn't take that long to get the new AC up and running so it's not like she'll be here a long time."

I smiled lightly at him trying to cheer me up then started backing out of the parking lot. "Well, what now?"

Turbo sat up a bit in his seat and replied, "Let's go swimming!"

I cringed inwardly at the thought of being anywhere near a public pool. We have one at the apartment complex but I _never_ visit. The idea of being in swimsuit is horrific enough without having complete strangers looking at you. It's like, if you don't have a good tan, you shouldn't even _own_ a swimsuit. I literally am unable to tan, I just burn like a lobster then peel for a good two weeks and then end up going back to being fair-skinned like I normally am. It's the biggest waste of time ever.

"Do we _have_ to?" I whined out loud, hoping he'd rather do something else.

"Come on, I've been living here close to seven months now and we've never even visited the place," Turbo countered back. "Besides, what else we gonna do? It's hot and there's nothing else to do."

I groaned out loud and flexed my fingers around the steering wheel. We passed by the Sonic Drive-Thru and decided to get myself one of their large drinks for a dollar since it wasn't eleven o'clock in the morning yet and that's when the deal ends. They don't have Pepsi here so we had to settle for Coke and we got those sausage breakfast sandwiches they have.

"So what did you guys do last night anyway?" I asked as I stayed parked in the stall while we ate with the air conditioner on. This place kinda works like an old carhop joint so you stay in your car while the carhops bring your food to you.

Turbs suddenly gagged on his food and hastily swallowed a few gulps of Coke to clear his throat. "Uh...well..."

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. "Did something happen while I was gone? Besides the air conditioner busting? Don't lie to me."

He was avoiding my gaze on purpose, I could tell, and he played with his napkin. "Uh...don't get mad but..." He gulped and spat out very quickly, "GastonbrokeyourWii."

It took me a second to process what he said. I clenched my teeth together and forcefully repeated, "Gaston _broke_ my Wii? He _broke_ it?"

"Yeah he ugh..." Turbo rubbed his neck. "He broke it in half. So I had to chunk it." He gave me this puppy dog expression of his that he uses when he's trying to butter me up. "I'll buy a new one just don't get mad."

I silently fumed for a minute, staring out ahead of me. I know I don't play on it all the time but it was still _mine_ and I _did _sometimes like to play platformers and FPS games on it. And I have all those games for it! Game consoles aren't cheap you know!

I shook my head to clear it. "Whatever, I don't even want to think about it right now. I ought to make _Mickey_ pay for it since it's _his_ fault Gaston is here anyway...wherever he is."

We threw our stuff out in the trash barrel next to the exit and we proceeded forth to head home so we could change into more appropriate swimgear. We got into our neighborhood and came to a halt at the stop sign, only to have a rather bizarre sight take place. While we were stopped, none other Gaston...a shirtless Gaston at that (eww)...jogging down the sidewalk and then going across the street in front of my car.

Turbs and I exchanged a quick glance and then watched as the buff Frenchman actually gave us a quick wave and a grin before continuing on his jog. What the heck...

"Okay, I'm going to pretend I didn't see that," I commented as I drove forward.

"Me too."

* * *

I had on a pair of cutoff denim shorts (ugh I _hate_ shorts) and a red tank top on. It wasn't like I was getting in the water anyway, I was staying right here under this giant umbrella on a deck chair covered with my orange and yellow beach towel with my sunshades on. I am _not_ getting sunburnt, no thank you. I even slathered on enough sunscreen to where it almost didn't rub into my skin all the way. Otherwise, I'll end up blistering and peeling and looking gross which is the last thing I want.

Turbs was in a white tee shirt with some black shorts on that was made out of that material that those windbreaker jackets are made out of. Someone had left one of those lime green pool noodles out so he was currently in the shallow end with his arms hooked over it and kicking himself around. He can't swim, by the way. _I_ can but it's been years since I've had any sort of desire to jump in a pool, especially one intended for public use.

Not that it was going to stop Turbs from trying to splash me. I felt a drizzle on my feet and I whined before tucking my feet up. "Quit it!"

"Stop being a priss and get in here!" I heard him call out.

I rolled my eyes from beneath my shades. "Forget it! I don't wanna smell like chlorine."

"You can always take a bath later."

Again, I rolled my eyes and then curled up on my side with one arm propped under my head for comfort. After a few moments of silent peace, I heard what sounded like wet footsteps (yes, wet footsteps have a distinct sound) and...

"What are you _doing_?!" I shrieked as I suddenly found myself being jerked up from my spot on the deck chair by a certain soaking wet Turbs, who had both his arms wrapped around my middle. My feet painfully were dragged across the outer pool surface as I got pulled backwards; next thing I know, I'm flying into the middle of the pool.

The water was initially cold despite the temperature being almost ninety degrees Farenheit even this early in the morning and I had to nearly claw my way to surface because I had sunk into the water so low. I gasped loudly and blindly swam towards the edge of the pool, gripping the surface with one hand and wiping my face with the other so I'd be able to see. Ugh, I got water up my nose! I _hate_ that!

"What is wrong with you?!" I demanded to know as Turbs got back in the shallow end and hugged his pool noodle thing like he was doing earlier. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Relax, you're still alive," he dismissed me casually as he kicked around some more, venturing closer to the deep end. "And now you don't have an excuse to not be in here because you're already in it."

"Your logic seems twisted."

He threw me a smug smile. "Thank you."

I sneezed twice because there was still that pesky feeling of water being in my nose and I let go of the pool's edge to tread myself over to where he was. If he thinks he's going to get away with this without any repurcussions, he's very mistaken! Without any warning whatsoever, I grabbed his floating device and started pulling him out to the deep end. His eyes got big and he started trying to brake himself with his feet, which of course didn't work since the pool's floor is slippery.

"Blondie, I can't swim!" he fretted out loud in a panic, bobbing down more in the water once he got into the deep end.

I grabbed him by his elbows and forced him back upright so he could hold onto his floating noodle thing better, so now we were facing each other. "You wanted me in the pool so now you're going to have to deal with it!" I informed with an amused grin. "Calm down before you drown us both."

He shot me an irritated look. "Hey, you're the one trying to drown _me_ by dragging me out here!"

"Well, _you_ threw me in the pool without a heads up first!" I argued back as I held on to the floaty with him, but just barely because I didn't want it to sink. "You could've missed and I might have hit my head on something and drowned too!"

"I wasn't doing it be mean like you are though!"

"Just think of it as a swimming lesson," I snarkily replied, slapping some water in his face.

He shut his eyes tightly and spat to the side before attempting to do the same thing to me. Since he was too concerned with hanging onto his borrowed pool toy though, he didn't do a very good job. He was also kicking his legs too hard which wasn't doing much but making the water all choppy.

"Kick slowly, you don't have to make such a fuss," I instructed him. "You're not going to sink unless you dive down or quit moving all together."

"Well ex_cuse_ me, I wasn't exactly allowed to go to the rehab center's pool and learn," Turbo muttered out loud, glaring off to the side.

I didn't have to ask "Why?" because that answer was obvious. Everytime I think about him being in that place, I get sick to my stomach. I thought it'd be best to change the subject so I asked,

"So...did you do your homework, or no?"

The face he made was similar to one that you'd make if you'd just tasted something sour. "Unfortunately yes. That was worse than Snow White."

I bugged my eyes out. "You _hated_ it? You hated _Beauty and the BEAST_?" I couldn't believe it! "I thought you'd like that one! It reminded me of us, kinda."

What the heck is wrong with me! I just outright said one of the greatest Disney romances ever made reminded me of _us! _

He looked rather offended by that actually, giving me this shocked expression. "There is _nothing_ about that piece of crap that has to do with us. Maybe if I'd commandeered the place and turned you into a slave for the sole purpose of marriage, then yeah, but that's not what happened."

"What are you babbling about, it wasn't _forced_ marriage, she went there out of her own free will and they became friends then fell in love!"

"_No,_ she had to be there or else her dad would die in a dungeon cell and didn't have much choice. _Then_ she got brainwashed into loving him because he was the only other person around and treated her decent, but he only did that because he needed to hurry up and get her to fall for him before his stupid rose deadline happened!"

Turbs was waving one of his arms around in those crazy gestures he does when he gets to talking alot, but he was having to grab the pool noodle every five seconds to keep his balance in the water. So let's just say there was a lot of splashing going on.

"Oh good grief, never _mind_!" I groaned out loud. "I'll just read what you wrote about it."

"It's really long, just warning you."

"Gee I can't wait," I replied sarcastically. All this bobbing around in the water gave me an idea. "Hey, maybe you'll like _The Little Mermaid_."

He gave me a flat look. "How many princess movies are you going to make me watch?"

"Until I get sick of assigning them for you to watch."

Turbo opened his mouth to say something but then he closed it and stared at something that was behind me with huge eyes. Curious, I turned my head around and did a jaw drop. Lo and behold, there stood our wandering Frenchman at the end of the pool with both fists on his hips and flashing a dazzling white smile, still shirtless but now also pantless, and in...ugh...black Speedos. Where did he even get a pair of...never mind. I don't want to know.

I shut my eyes and tried to mentally bleach my brain. "Gaston, what the freakin' heck are you doing?"

Turbo made little gagging noises as we both stayed afloat in the middle of the pool. I turned my head back around to face Turbs so I'd be able to open my eyes without staring at Gaston.

"No one dives into pools like Gaston!" I heard him declare, much to my horror.

Without even bothering to turn around, since I didn't wish to see _that_ again, I yelled out, "You can't dive in this pool! It's against regulations!"

Did he listen to me? Heck no! Turbo started trying to backpedal himself to the shallow end again but since he was having issues I had to push him a little bit. Next thing I know, _KER-SPLASH! _Gaston's dive was so huge, we rode the wave all the way to the middle of the shallow end. The forceful impact forced me to go forward a bit and-

Holy. Crap.

The wave was just strong enough to push me up enough to where me and Turbs wound up bumping noses for a couple seconds. The _nose bump_, people! That's the closest you get to a..._k-i-s-s_...without actually doing it!

Now I won't lie and say that I didn't exactly hate that it happened...but at the same time, I had a minor freak out. I mean, come on, it was so dang unexpected, I wasn't sure how to react to it except panic. Everything felt like it was moving in slow-motion but really it only lasted a few seconds. I quickly shoved him away from me, making Turbo's head sink a bit in the water while I scrambled and fought against the water to get to the pool's edge.

I turned briefly to look behind me and saw Gaston making a few backstrokes around the opposite edge of the pool while Turbo was still busy coughing up water and wiping the excess water off of his face. I crawled up onto the dock and hastily grabbed my beach towel, which was nice and warm from being out in this heat, and wrapped it around me before making my retreat.

Ahhh! I'm so embarrassed! I mean, I know it was just an accident and technically it wasn't anything to even worry about but _still_...we freakin' _nose bumped! _Oh just let me _die _already! If he follows me out here, I'm going to scream. I need to be by myself for a few minutes.

That so easily could have been an accidental _kiss_, guys! Dear sweet merciful heavens, I might _would_ have died if _that_ had happened! I mean, not literally, but...you know...my brain's reeling right now, I just need to take a shower and get a nap in. I've been awake too long.

I wonder if _he's_ embarrassed?

**to be continued**


	48. Being Human

_That Guest Person: Exactly, one of the main points of this story was to have Turbo act more and more human the longer he lives here. I picked Gaston for a guest role because he makes for a good comparison study between the two of them...and he's also insanely fun to write for XD_

_TheLoser: I've seen more smut than I care to see in my life lol. I'd be happy if I never saw smutty fanart ever again to be honest. I don't mind reading/writing it (as long as it's a ship I like of course) but I don't like seeing it drawn out for some reason._

_apple: Yes, Gaston is "a little" weird XD and yep, that particular restaurant is all over the place down here in the Southern USA where I live, there's at least one per town lol. I don't think there's that many (or maybe none) in the northern states though, just from what people have told me over the years. _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**TURBO'S POV**

So...

Anyways...

The air conditioner got fixed and I ended up having to go pick up Kitty from the kennel since Blondie was knocked out sleeping. She'd had a bad night at work, you know, plus she'd been up a long time afterwards so I don't blame her.

Kitty was NOT happy when I went to go get her, since she had been cooped up in a small cage thing for a few hours plus surrounded by complete strangers. She was crouched back in the farthest corner of the cage with her ears folded back and making herself look as small as possible, swishing her tail in an aggravated manner and growling. I didn't have much choice but to don a pair of safety gloves that they have available there and then reach in and grab her. She violently protested this, biting her little sharp fangs right into the glove and trying to dig her claws in as well, plus doing that kicking things that cats do with their back legs that make them look like rabbits.

There was no way she was going to let me carry her to the car or else she'd run away and hide in some bushes, so one of the kennel assistants got me a cardboard box thing that closed at the top and had air holes in it so I could dump her inside and then close her up. She was yowling like a mountain lion in there but hey I wasn't going to have her attack me the entire ride home and get fur all over my 'Vette's seats.

I cranked up some Bon Jovi song on the radio and began heading back for home. It wasn't too long afterwards that I heard the sound of that cardboard box being ripped apart and pushed open. I quickly glanced to the side of me and saw that Kitty had actually clawed and chewed her way out of the stupid box she was in and was currently pushing her head through the top opening.

"Hey! Get back in there!" I commanded her, having to constantly turn my head back towards the road so I wouldn't wreck.

"Mrrrowr!" She meow-growled at me, pushing herself up and out of the box with her front legs and then getting her bottom legs out.

"Dangit, Kitty, get back in that box!" I uselessly yelled at her, since of course she doesn't understand English. Well, I'm not about to stop and try to put her back in that thing NOW. She stretched herself out a bit and then looked at me with those big greenish eyes of hers and meowed loudly again before trying to get in my lap to look out the window.

I swear to Walt, I cannot concentrate on driving while having her do this. She turned her head to sniff my face and I had to shake my head to make her quit. Then she wanted to prop herself up on the steering wheel so she could see out the windshield. THEN she wanted to crawl up my arm and sit on top of my seat, her tail whopping me in the face.

I had to spit and use a hand to push her tail out of my way. "Listen, cat, you better be enjoying yourself because as soon as we get home, you ARE getting back in that box whether you like it or not."

"Meow!"

"Don't talk back to me, missy!" I thought about this whole situation and groaned. "Great, I'm turning into Blondie and becoming one of those people that talks to animals. Plus my car has fur all over it now, thank you very much."

"Meow?"

We FINALLY got home and I grabbed Kitty from the top of my seat and started trying to shove her back in the box. She kept making her legs push against my hands and meowing in protest, which sounded more sad than angry now. Dang it, I feel abusive now. I sighed and gave up, settling for just putting her back in her harness now that she was sort of calmed down and carried her in that way. I put her in it so I could have something extra to hang onto so she couldn't escape my arms. By the time I got to the door, she was ready to get down so it took some time to get the door unlocked. She leaped out of my hands the second it was open before I could even get her harness off and she high-tailed it to the bedroom to hide under the bed.

I had no idea where Gaston was at, but he wasn't here so that was fine with me. I had ended up leaving him at the pool and all these chicks in bikinis had come running out there to give him attention so he was preoccupied anyway. I had dried off (Blondie had bought me a red beach towel) and went off to go sit by the big duck pond that we have by the apartment complex for a while. Why? Well, mostly because I figured Blondie would want some space after...you know.

ANYWAYS...

I yawned a bit and put my keys back on the key hook by the door and then peeked inside Blondie's room to see if she was still asleep, which she was. All curled up under her blankets, even though she'd mentioned something to me about having to buy new ones since Gaston had been in them. I guess she was too tired to care at the time.

Well, now what?

I crashed on the couch and thought about playing a game but then I remembered Gaston broke the Wii. UGHHHH. I am so ready for him to go back to Disney World. I decided since there wasn't anything better to do (I wasn't hungry or sleepy) I might as well get my new homework done. I dug around in the cabinet for _The Little Mermaid_. Dang it, this had BETTER not suck. She also better not assign me a stupid princess movie for a while.

Right so we're starting off with this old-timey wooden ship sailing on the ocean blue and the crew is catching fish. Someone mentions to this young dude named Prince Eric about this other dude named King Triton who is apparently the king of the mermaid people but no one believes him. One of the fish that they caught escapes back into the ocean and we get all this pretty music and ocean scenery stuff, THEN we finally see this really awesome looking underwater castle with all the mermaids and merdudes (that's a male mermaid) swimming to it. There's a huge auditorium there that everyone's going to so I guess there's gonna be a meeting or something.

We meet this King Triton that we heard about earlier and...hahaha...he looks like Santa Claus! Santa with a crown and a big pointy stick thing he uses like a wand. So anyway, then this little red crab dude comes out and he's supposedly in charge of music stuff, so I guess that means we're here for a concert. All these mermaids show up and start doing this rather horrible musical where all they sing is THEIR NAMES. Why in the world would you want to sing your name? I mean, I'm the "most conceited villain" according to some people, and even I don't go around SINGING my name. Saying my catchphrase doesn't count because I'm not bursting into song about it.

I wonder how a turbo-tastic song would go anyway? I think I heard that I was supposed to have a villain song but they scrapped it. Good, because I can't sing. I know because I sometimes sing to the radio if I'm by myself (Blondie doesn't know that so SHHH!) and it sounds BAD.

Anyway, eventually they get to the part where they are supposed to be introducing their sister, Ariel, but lo and behold she isn't there. Everyone's absolutely horrified at this and King Santa is REALLY mad about it. He acts as if he KINDA expected it, so I guess she's done stuff like this before.

Whoa, wait, were all those chicks his KIDS? Good grief, I couldn't imagine having that many kids. I mean, I know I kinda was in control of a game full of kids but they for the most part took care of themselves. Hallejulah, because if I'd had to play "daddy" with them, then I would've bailed out right away.

So this is when we finally are introduced to our titular character, whose hair I swear is as red as the T on my helmet. It's not like an orange-red like most natural redheads in the world...it is TRUE RED.

She gets the Turbo "thumbs up" seal of approval already.

So Ariel is off exploring shipwrecks with her fishy friend who I'll just call Scaredy Fish since that's what he is. This guy's afraid of EVERYTHING! Ha, you know, this is almost like me having to drag Blondie out in public. Ariel has to drag her friend everywhere or otherwise he wouldn't do anything. Doesn't THAT sound familiar?

Okay so she's not as bad as she was when I first got here but...anyway, the reason Ariel likes exploring shipwrecks is because she likes to find items that humans use, like a fork and a pipe. Soooo...they don't use forks to eat with underwater? What do they use? Just their hands? Huh.

Things get nuts when...SHARK! Yeah there's a huge shark chasing these two now and holy crap it's EATING THE SHIP! Holy...guys, it is chomping down on this ship like it was buttered toast or something. I'd be freaking out if that thing was after me! It could rip me in half! Err, maybe the beach isn't a good vacation spot after all...nah, we're still going.

After a daring escape where they trap the shark in this big metal ring that's part of an anchor...wait, so is it just stuck there? Forever? Will it ever get out? Is this going to come back later on in the movie? If that thing stays stuck there, it'll die right? That's a little disturbing when this movie has fish in it that can talk like the mermaids. Or are sharks different and considered wild animals to them like they are to us?

So like I was saying, they escape and then they go up to the surface of the ocean where they meet up with this really annoying seagull. Apparently Ariel's visited him before since they know each other and she gives him the human artifacts that she found so he can tell her what they are used for. Unfortunately, Seagull tells her WRONG. Yeah, it's kinda funny actually, he claims he's an expert on humans and then tells her totally wrong so now she has all these misconceptions in her head about how humans do things. I'm not sure if he's lying on purpose or if he's just scatterbrained...eh, I'll go with scatterbrained. He told her that a smoking pipe was a musical instrument and that a fork was like a comb you use for your hair. I have a feeling this is going to come back later on.

Oh and the pipe being a "musical instrument" is what makes Ariel remember her concert so she goes back home only of course it's over now since her absence kinda ruined it. OOPS! So anyways, apparently Ariel has a habit of not following her dad's rules and doing things on her own, like any other stubborn-headed teenager. King Santa has her summoned to him to gripe about missing her concert and Scaredy Fish accidentally lets it slip that they went to the surface, and boy does King Santa get MAD. He goes off on a tirade about how dangerous it is to go up there because of humans and that if they see her, they'll do horrible things to her.

Gotta say, on the one hand, that makes him sound like a bigot. On the other hand, he has a point. The way he's talking, it sounds like he knows exactly what humans CAN do to mermaids so maybe he's witnessed this for himself? By the way, where his wife at? Unless merdudes give birth to kids like seahorses do, I'm pretty sure he had a wife at some point. Maybe she got killed by humans or something? If that's the case, he has legit reasons for making his kid stay where it's safe.

Then again, it's not healthy to live in fear all the time like that and also you need to let your kids grow up and do their own thing or else they'll never learn about life and be their own person. So he's a good dad but he's not perfect, like any other person in the world.

So like any other typical teenager, and we know for a fact she's sixteen because she says so which means this is the first person I've heard so far give their age in a Disney movie, she gets all upset because her dad got angry with her and she swims away with Scaredy Fish right behind her. King Santa starts lamenting to Musical Crab about her being so headstrong and Musical Crab starts talking like he knows everything there is to know about raising teenagers so King Santa commands him to babysit Ariel to make sure she stays out of trouble. I'm not sure if he actually believed what Musical Crab said or if he's just being funny...but regardless, he entrusts his right-hand man, er, crab to watch his kid.

I guess if I needed someone to spy on someone, it'd be my most trusted sidekick. Hm...I doubt Gaston is Mickey's most trusted sidekick but the big lug is dumb enough to obey orders from His Rat-ness to be useful. Still don't trust that guy.

Musical Crab follows Ariel and Scaredy Fish to their secret hideout, this really cool cavern looking thing that is where she stores her insane collection of human items. I mean, this chick has a mini-museum here! I gotta say, she's definitely got an adventurous spirit in her and inquisitive since she actually likes learning what things are for and how humans live...even if the guy that she gets her info from is an absent-minded seagull.

Anyway, after getting this pretty song about how she desires to get away from home and explore other worlds, in this case the human world, and how she wants to enhance her knowledge on things...wait, isn't that kinda like what Belle wanted to do in that other movie? Only I think this movie came out first...and Ariel's more specific in what she wants to learn about so...yeah I think I like Ariel more. So far anyway. I have more of an understanding on what she wants to go out and learn about and what her innermost desires are, while Belle just wanted to go out and do...anything else in general.

Musical Crab discovers her little treasure trove and threatens to tell her dad about it but Ariel convinces him not to because he'd get really mad and NO ONE wants to see King Santa mad. Haha, no one wants to be on King Santa's NAUGHTY LIST! Ha, I crack myself up sometimes.

A big ship passes by where the three of them can see it and despite being warned, Ariel wants to go visit it anyway. She's never been really close to a ship before or even near humans so she's curious to see it all in person. There's this big party going on for Prince Eric, the dude from the very beginning, and awwww love at first sight. She sees him and gets the biggest crush ever, but making sure that he doesn't see her. Normally I'd say that was stupid, I mean if you want to get noticed you need to a make a move of some sort, but due to all the horror stories she's probably been told all her life, she doesn't want to get caught.

Anyway, Eric gets this huge statue of himself for his birthday and he looks kinda embarrassed about it. I think it'd be turbo-tastic to have a statue of myself! His friend, who looks like a nicer version of Smiling Corpse guy from _Beauty and the Beast,_ hints that he had hoped it would be a wedding present but Eric doesn't seem interested because he wants to fall in love with someone special and not just "anybody".

I think I like this dude. He's not under any pressure to get hitched any time soon so he's gonna take it easy and just let it happen. You know, unlike what ol' Beast Boy did.

Things get really bad when a storm hits and the ship catches fire from the lightning. All the crewman are able to get into the lifeboat but Eric goes back to save his big fluffy dog. What a good guy, he likes dogs. Anyway, the ship falls apart and Eric is knocked unconscious so Ariel takes it upon herself to save him and drags him to the closest shore.

I wonder how come SHE doesn't have a problem with humans like her dad? Maybe she didn't have a bad experience, who knows.

So the storm passes and everything's cool, Eric's alive but still out of it. Ariel thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread and gets really intrigued with him since he's the first human she's been close to. She sings a bit right when he wakes up and he catches a glimpse of her and hears her voice but that's when his friend shows up so she takes off before he can get a proper look at her or even talk to her. All he remembers is her singing voice but his friend thinks he just hallucinated her from being unconscious. He still vows to find her somehow and off in the distance Ariel is even more determined to somehow become part of the human's world. Well, they both have a good solid goal to work towards so that's something at least.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention the villain of this movie didn't I? Anyway, her name's Ursula and she's KINDA like a mermaid but instead of a fish tail, she has octopus legs. She's really creepy in real life, she used to literally try and bite me if I got too close to her and then laugh about it. Anyway, she's a sea witch and she has this bubble thing that acts like a crystal ball so she can spy on Ariel with. She thinks it's hilarious that she's in love with a human, a prince no less, and she knows that this will make King Santa angry. She seems to think that she can use Ariel somehow in order for King Santa to give up his powers, which are in the form of that big pointy stick thing they call a trident.

Anyway, so now Ariel's happy as a lark, going around singing to herself and being overly cheerful. Everyone notices this, especially her sisters and her dad. Actually, King Santa, upon getting clued in by one of the sisters that she's acting like this because she's in love, seems to actually like the idea of this. You'd think a dad would freak out and be overly protective if his daughter liked someone, but nah he's pretty cool with it.

I wonder how Blondie's dad would be? He's cool and all but I get the feeling that he'd be over-protective and suspicious about what my intentions would be with her...I mean...uh...never mind.

Musical Crab is freaked out that King Santa will kill him for letting Ariel go back to the surface and for falling in love with a human no less, so he starts gathering all these other sea creatures together to sing about how awesome the ocean is and how it's better to stay where you are, because the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

I'll admit, he has a point about that, sometimes what you want isn't REALLY what you want, but who are these people to tell her not to do what she dreams about? How is she going to learn any different if she just stays put? Scaredy Fish comes up to Ariel during this brainwashing song and whisks her away without Musical Crab seeing it, who now has to go back to King Santa.

King Santa asks him if he knows who Ariel is in love with and he gets nervous, thinking that King Santa knows that they went to the surface, and spits out by accident that she's in love with a human. He reacts just as expected...MAD. Dun dun DUNNNNN.

Scaredy Fish brings Ariel back to her secret treasure trove and shows her the Eric statue that is now there. How the heck did that little fish get that thing in there? Anyway, Ariel's overjoyed with this and practices talking to Eric by using the statue instead but unfortunately King Santa shows up to be a mood-killer. He is FURIOUS that she has all these human things and that she disobeyed him constantly, and even saved a human from drowning since according to him humans wouldn't do the same in return. Gee, what kind of humans did this guy encounter to give him that opinion...or fact, or whatever.

She gets defensive saying that she loves Eric despite being different species. Gotta hand it to her, at least she's not racist...or species-ist, or whatever you wanna call it. Talk about open-minded. I like this chick. I couldn't imagine if Blondie hated me simply because I have an unnatural skin and eye color. That wouldn't be very nice at all.

But King Santa is horrified by this confession of hers and...holy crap, he DESTROYED her stuff! He's using his magic trident thing to blast her collection to pieces! Oh my codes, that is...that is overreacting a bit, isn't it? She wasn't hurting anything by having all that stuff. That's like going in your kid's bedroom and destroying all their plush toy animals or something. Dear Walt, oh that is painful to watch. If someone went in and destroyed all my precious possessions, I'd go INSANE.

Oh what if someone hurt BLONDIE? I don't know how I'd react. What the heck is wrong with me, why am I even thinking something like that? Maybe I should I go check on her. I know she's just asleep but...you know, people die in their sleep and stuff...

I paused the movie and got up to tiptoe over by the bedroom door, peeking in the room. Yep, she's still asleep, all cuddled up. I saw her shift her leg a bit so I guess she's fine. Okay, I feel better now, let's finish this movie up.

Right, so King Santa destroys EVERYTHING, even the Eric statue. Ariel breaks down into sobs and for a moment, her dad looks like he regrets doing it. I guess no one likes to hurt their child but...I dunno, maybe he thought if he did that then she wouldn't do her treasure hunting and surface visiting anymore. I have a feeling this is going to backfire. He leaves quietly and Musical Crab apologizes to Ariel but she says for him to leave so he and Scaredy Fish go and leave her alone for a while.

Ursula sees this in her crystal ball bubble and sends her two creepy pet eels to go talk to her. Oh GOSH, these things are creepy! Ugh, they're like snakes that swim around in the water and have jaws full of teeth. I'd HATE to come across one of those! I hope I don't see any at the beach when we go to Daytona.

The eels tell Ariel about how Ursula can help her make her dreams come true. She doesn't feel too comfortable with making arrangements with a witch, but given the circumstances she doesn't feel that she has any other options. She agrees to go with them, while Musical Crab and Scaredy Fish follow at a distance after she refuses to listen to reason. They come to this really scary cavern thing and Ariel finally meets Ursula for the first time.

Ursula tells her that she is always helping out people in need as long as they can fulfill their end of a contract they must sign. Ha, so that way she has them trapped in her debt if they can't pay up. Pretty smart. She even tells her what happens when people can't withhold their end of the bargain: she turns them into these little gray withered puny plant things. Gah, and they still have eyeballs and little mouths even though they can't talk! That's friggin' nightmare-ish! No way in heck would I be making a deal with this lady!

Anyway, the deal is this: Ursula turns her into a human for three days and she has to get a "kiss of true love" from Eric before the sunset of the third day or she has to go back to the sea and become Ursula's property. Okay, first off, at least she said "kiss of true love" and not just any random kiss because that would be too easy. You can sneak up on him while he's sleeping and do it or you can just jump in his arms and surprise him with one. No, she has to get him to fall in love with her first for it to work.

Also, this isn't even bothering me even though Belle/Beast had three days to fall in love too, but at least Ariel and Eric already have some kind of attraction to each other and aren't trying to brainwash each other into something that the other doesn't want. Anyway, what's the catch on this deal? Ariel has to pay up with her VOICE. Yeah she has to give up her voice as like a down payment or something. You know, that's not fair because Eric only remembers her by her voice and so thus he won't know who she is when he meets her again. THAT'S CHEATING, URSULA.

Then again, at least Eric won't immediately fall in love with her now just because "Oh she's the girl with the awesome singing voice that saved me, I must marry her!". Now, he has no choice but to get to know her for HERSELF and then he can legitimately fall in love with her THAT way. Huh, so this all works out to where this love story makes sense. I give this a thumbs-UP.

Anyway, Ariel has to sign her name on this magical contract and all this magic stuff happens and these freaky floating ghost hands come and take Ariel's voice away while she's being forced to sing. Ursula stores it away with this insanely malicious look of glee on her face and keeps it in this shell necklace. Then she splits Ariel's fins apart and makes them into legs and...dang is she NAKED? I mean, you can't see anything of course because they did a good job hiding her bottom and her top half is covered up by a shell bra thing but...dang, is this the first naked chick in a Disney movie? WOW. And this is rated G? Huh.

So you guys probably know that humans can't breathe underwater like mermaids can so Ariel starts drowning because she has no idea how to swim with her new legs and not to mention she's on the ocean floor. Gah, that was a cheap trick Ursula. You could've killed her, you know. And dang it, I'm glad Blondie didn't let me drown today, that would've scary. Even if she did pull me out in the deep end on purpose...and then practically shoved my head under when we accidentally...never mind.

Scaredy Fish and Musical Crab thankfully are there and they quickly get Ariel to the surface so she can breathe and help her swim to shore where they run into Seagull. Ariel looks at her new toes and seems rather ecstatic about all of this. Musical Crab is freaking out and threatens to go tell King Santa about this so that Ariel can go back to her mermaid form but Ariel picks him up and gives him this really sad puppy-dog pout. Awww. Musical Crab feels like a jerk and realizes that she'll be miserable if she doesn't try this human thing out so he decides to help her with the Eric situation.

See, now THESE friends are actually going to help her out because they care about HER. Not because they want to help their own selves out but because they want her to be happy. You know, unlike stupid household object servants from that movie that I hate. So these guys are REAL friends. I wish I had devoted friends like that who could help me out with Blondie. I think I'm getting closer though. I THINK. She's still shy around me about stuff but not as bad as she was a while back. Good thing I'm not on a deadline.

So Seagull dresses Ariel up in an abandoned ship sail that was laying around so she'll be covered up and that's when Eric's dog shows up and finds her. Seagull and Scaredy Fish go away but Musical Crab stays with Ariel. Eric appears and sees Ariel and believes that she is the one that he's been looking for. Unfortunately, she cannot tell him that he is correct because she has no voice. Eric is disappointed in this and Ariel is as well. She tries to humorously do some made-up sign language stuff to tell him but he doesn't get it. Why doesn't she just WRITE it out for him? Unless mermaids and humans don't write the same way...even though they all speak English. Plot hole? Or the magic of Disney? Ehhhh...I'll just go with the latter since that seems to be the case with all these movies.

Anyway, so all the handmaidens at the castle get Ariel cleaned up and just think she's darling. Musical Crab gets separated from her and ends up in this crazy chef guy's kitchen where he plans to cook little crabs for dinner. Of course they're already dead but Musical Crab thinks he's landed in Crab Hell. I know this is supposed to be played for laughs but geez, imagine if you accidentally wound up in a place that had dead people hanging off of meat hooks and you had to stay hidden from the guy cooking them. And don't worry, Musical Crab survives.

Back to the movie, Ariel shows up for dinner with Eric and his corpse-looking friend and she gets excited when she sees a fork, one of the things that she'd had in her collection. She starts brushing her hair with it, happy that she knows what something is for, only to get insanely odd looks from the two men. HAHA oh man, I want to feel bad for her because she's embarrassed but that's just too funny. It's like when I first got here and didn't know what anything was in the Real World and Blondie had to explain everything to me.

Oh and now she's trying to use Eric's friend's pipe as a music instrument like what Seagull showed her! Ha! She just blew ash all over his face! Oh man, that poor girl but at least Eric's laughing about it and not AT her. Too funny. Eric gets suggested to show Ariel around the town so the next day they have a grand ol' time because Ariel's super excited about EVERYTHING because she's never seen any of it before. Heck, they even go dancing and go for a carriage ride which would've been more romantic if she hadn't gone nuts making the horse run faster, hahaha. Aww so they have their little bonding time. Kinda like when me and Blondie had our date-that-she-won't-call-a-date in Texas..._SIGH._

Oh sorry, movie.

Um, so anyway Ariel and Eric are now paddling about in a rowboat; Musical Crab gets the idea to enhance the mood with some serenading so he gets all the local wildlife together to put on this performance in order to somehow inspire Eric to kiss her. Gee, I wish I had a bunch of singing animal friends to help me out sometime. I've never kissed anyone before so I don't know if I'd know how to even start it. I mean, do you just go ahead and do it or what? How the heck do you know what to do?

Since Eric still doesn't know her name, Musical Crab helps him out by whispering her name in his ear really fast to get the idea in his head. So I guess Eric can understand sea creatures? And does he not think it's weird that there's singing and dancing animals surrounding his boat? Maybe he's too hypnotized looking at Ariel or something. Gee, they're like staring right at each other, just kiss already! Dude, seriously, lean in and KISS her, good grief you're killing me here!

No seriously, dude, you need to kiss her NOW.

Any day now...

DO IT ALREADY.

Ohhh so close...

WHAT?

OH man that is...not fair! Ursula's stupid eels flipped the boat over right when they were about to...that's cheating! CHEATING. Ohhhh I dare someone to ruin MY first kiss. I'll "go Turbo" on THEM, that's what I'll do. OOOH that makes me mad!

So Ursula is freaking out now because she hadn't expected things to progress so quickly between Ariel and Eric and decides to cheat some more. She starts transforming herself into a human lady and is using that locket that contains Ariel's voice to make herself sound like her. I don't like where this is going...

Back at the palace, Ariel and Eric wave at each other while he is outside and she is upstairs in the tower in her bedroom. Eric's friend shows up and wisely tells him that he needs to stop focusing on finding his "dream girl" (the one that he only wants to meet because of her awesome voice and saving him) and focus on the "real girl" that he has here with him that he's been getting to know. Geez, this movie's pretty smart. He's basically being told to stop being in love with the IDEA of being in love and also with a "perfect dream girl" that may or may not exist and instead to go after the girl that he has become friends with and let something real and genuine take place.

My heart kinda hurts, guys, what's up with THAT? It feels weird and fluttery...oh and I'm shaking now. Oh crap, am I having a heart attack? I'm too young for that! Okay, calm down, just take it easy. BREATHE. Breeeeeathe...okay phew, it went away. What was THAT about? I was just sitting here talking about love and then...

You know, you guys didn't witness any of that so just SHUT UP and FORGET IT. And why the heck am I always talking to people that don't even talk back to me? You guys might not even be real for all I know.

Back to the movie.

Eric is just about to go inside when he hears Ariel's singing voice, which if you remember is the only thing about her that he remembers from when she saved him. But it's not Ariel that he sees, it's the disguised Ursula, now looking like a dark-haired beauty, and she casts a spell on Eric. Oh man, she's going to steal him for herself, isn't she? That dirty, no-good, cheating...I hate her. If someone did that to Blondie, I'd...never mind.

The next day, Seagull shows up in Ariel's room and tells her that he heard news about Eric getting married and they both assume it is to HER. Excited, she dashes down the stairs to see him but stops when she sees "Vanessa" (that's Ursula's alias) holding onto Eric's arms and they are telling his friend that they want the wedding ceremony to be by sunset. You know, because that's when Ariel's contract is up. Geez, talk about kicking her while she's down. Not only is Ursula stealing Eric from her so that her dreams can't come true but now she's making him marry her right before her deadline occurs.

We cut to the end of the day with Ariel sitting on the dock watching the wedding ship sail away and she cries silent tears...this is starting to depress me. Everything was so fun and happy and now it's SAD. Seagull however is flying along with the ship and he looks into "Vanessa's" room and sees in the mirror that her reflection is that of Ursula. How he recognizes her, I don't know, because he's never even seen her that I know of. But anyway, he flies off to tell Ariel what the deal is. She is determined to put a stop to this wedding and she jumps in the water despite not being able to swim due to her legs, but Musical Crab snaps the rope off of some barrels that are nearby so that she can float on it. Scaredy Fish wraps himself in the rope attached to the barrel itself and acts as a horse to pull her through the water.

What a great group friends, doing all this stuff for her because they care about her. That must be really nice to have.

Musical Crab decides they need reinforcements so he dives down to find King Santa while Seagull gets all the sea animals together to ruin the wedding and stall time for Ariel to get there. Right when she gets on board the ship, Ursula's shell locket flies off of her and it breaks, releasing Ariel's voice and restoring it to her. Eric's enchantment is broken and he figures out quickly that she was the one that he had been looking for the entire time anyway, not that it really matters now since they love each other already. They're about to kiss but the sunset happens and Ariel is transformed back into a mermaid while Ursula turns back into her regular ugly self. Ahhh this is bad! Where's King Santa, he can fix this!

Man, this suddenly turned into one crazy rollercoaster! Ursula grabs Ariel and takes her back to the sea, but mentions to her that she's after a "bigger fish", which means her dad. Speaking of him, King Santa shows up with Musical Crab and he tries to destroy the contract that Ariel made with Ursula. Unfortunately, it doesn't work and Ursula begins turning Ariel into one of those creepy plant people. King Santa however loves his daughter and wouldn't let anything happen to her so he agrees to take her place instead.

This movie is just full of emotions isn't it? Geez, her dad, who she probably thought hated her because of her human obsession, just gave up everything to save her life. Why can't more people be like this? Even though he doesn't agree with her hobby, he still acts like a loving parent.

Unfortunately, this means that now he can't use his magic trident anymore so now Ursula gets it plus the crown. Ariel is understandably angry about how she was used to get to her father and get actually ATTACKS Ursula. Yeah, she actually lunges for her if you can believe that despite her having all these powers and stuff. Brave chick right there. Ursula easily throws her off and is about to smite her down but all of a sudden she gets grazed in the shoulder by a harpoon.

Dude, Eric is underwater trying to help Ariel out! Even if he can't breathe down there, geez that's really impressive. He has to swim back up for air but the eels show up and try to DROWN him, but thankfully Musical Crab and Scaredy Fish beat the eels off of him. All right, way to go! Helping the guy out that they barely even know. Now Ursula tries to kill him with the trident but Ariel jumps up and grabs her hair to make her misdirect her aim and...ooooh she kills her eels instead!

Okay that's sad losing a pet and all and she DOES look very upset by this, but gee she's over here trying to kill everyone else so what does she expect?

And, HOLY CRAP, she...she just made herself grow HUGE. I mean, she's bigger than what I was when I was in cybug form! Oh man, this is going to be an insane boss battle, guys! She has all these crazy powers now because of her natural witch-ness plus that trident and she makes a storm brew, making all these shipwrecks come up out of the water and circle around in a whirlpool. Eric and Ariel get separated and he manages to eventually crawl up on one of the shipwrecks. Ariel is thrown down in the middle of the whirlpool where it's dry and she has to avoid getting killed by Ursula who is shooting these rays of energy blasts at her. HOLY COW is she insane? What good is it going to do to kill the girl? Is she just doing this for fun now?

Ow, I think I chewed a fingernail off too short from watching this.

Eric gets control of a shipwreck and...WOW he just rammed the front of that thing right into her! Like, he just impaled her with the ship, guys! Oh wow and all this lightning is coming down and electrocuting her! Haha, man that's what I call a villain battle! Oh and she just EXPLODED. I mean, EXPLODED. There's little bits of her floating down into the ocean like ash or something. Dang, that's pretty gruesome! I'm glad little parts of ME weren't floating around after I got incinerated. That would've been gross.

So now that Ursula is dead, that means all her spells and magical things are dead too. All those little plants that are actually mermaids turn back into their normal forms after who-knows-how-long...can you imagine being a little plant thingy for years? That's a nightmare to think about it. Being fully conscious but not able to move or do anything. Anyway, King Santa is included in this and he gets his crown and trident back.

So now everything is back to normal! Sadly, that means Ariel is still a mermaid and can't be with Eric, who has washed up on shore again after the battle. King Santa has a talk with Musical Crab about her feelings for Eric and realizes that Ariel will never be truly happy down under the sea. So he uses his own magic to turn her into a human. Wait, he could've done that the whole time? Well, not that he WOULD have because of his prejudices...I guess now that he thinks Eric at least is worthy of having his kid, he figures it's okay. So yay, Ariel's a human again and her and Eric FINALLY kiss!

Oh and they get MARRIED! All the mermaids show up and King Santa offers his blessing to the happy couple, so I guess that means he's truly embraced having a son-in-law that's a human and doesn't have a problem with this anymore. What a good dad. All dads should be like that. And moms, they should be like that too.

Awww. This was a good one, it had a devious villain with a smart evil scheme, a couple that I could actually believe in, and even a prejudiced dad that changes in the end. Plus cool action scenes. Very good, well rounded little movie.

Well, now what? I wonder if Blondie's still asleep?

I got up off the couch after turning the movie off and crept my way to the bedroom door again. Kitty had crawled out from under the bed at some point and was flopped over on her back on top of the bed. She turned and looked at me a second so I went over and scratched her under her chin. She likes that. I got her harness off of her since I'm sure that was bothering her now and put it up on top of Blondie's dresser for the time being.

She had rolled partially onto her back now, and still covered up in blankets. I eased my way over to the side of the bed and leaned down so I could see her face. Her head was tilted over a bit and she looked pretty peaceful. I wonder if she's dreaming anything?

My heart did this _thump_ thing and I felt this dull pain again like I did earlier. I wish she hadn't gotten so worked up earlier in the pool. I mean, yeah, I was kind of embarrassed too because it was unexpected but it wasn't anything to have a panic attack over either. It kinda hurt my feelings that she left, even though I know that's how she acts when she gets embarrassed like that. I wonder how she would've been if...I dunno, like if I'd purposely initiated it. I guess it would've at least served as a "hint", you know?

I wish she let me take care of her like she takes care of me. It's getting harder every day to pretend like there's nothing there between us. It's kinda funny, you'd think that I would be the one that was scared of this since it's completely against my nature and also I've got zero experience with this. It's like, I get this warm feeling in me and since I'm not used to it, it feels really nice and I'd like to keep it there.

Whatever that ex-boyfriend did to her must've really done a number on her because she's like a scared rabbit with all this stuff. I wish she'd relax...it's not like I'm going to hurt her. If I did, it wouldn't be on purpose.

When did I become such an emotional sap? I feel like the longer I'm here, the more human I become. Does that even make sense? I don't know but I DO know that this love stuff really sucks sometimes.

And at the same time, it's also really turbo-tastic.

* * *

O_kay guys, I'm only going to do a few more movie review things because I'm getting burned out from doing them lol. So if there was one you were wanting Turbs to watch and I don't get around to it, sorry :(  
_

_Also, if a new chapter doesn't arrive until Sunday or Monday, I apologize because I have a lot of stuff to do this week while out of town. Love all you guys! :) *mwah*_


	49. Well, That Was Awkward

_apple: Hate to tell ya, but the Twins don't exist in this story. They weren't sentient characters as far as Disney Universe is concerned so they don't exist now, plus Turbo has no real memories of them. And yeah I know, Kitty is based off my real cat at home and she HATES her carrier! I finally gave up and started using a harness and leashing her up to the seat so she could be able to look out the window. _

_sereneflower: I'm not really sure which movies he's going to do at this point :/ Whichever ones they are, I'll make sure they're good though._

_Guest #1: Ha, oh gosh, I haven't seen Barney since the early 90s. He doesn't even watch that channel ;) _

_That Guest Person: I had thought perhaps you were on vacation or something ;) Haha, yeah I never really know how he's going to react to a movie either until I sit down and get to that particular essay lol. He surprises me as well ;)_

_Guest #2: Thank you! *squee* I'm so glad to hear that! :D_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Finally the day arrived where Mickey came back to collect Gaston. It was the day after the swimming pool incident so he was only here for two full days, but it felt like _forever_. Turbo was more than happy that the big of was finally leaving, but so was I so I can't really say anything. Mickey was standing at my door with his usual stupid happy grin on his face like he was promoting some kind of lifesaving miracle product (aka _himself) _and I gotta be honest…I was actually glad to see him because that meant the Gastonian Era was now over.

Right now, Turbo was in the shower and Gaston was kicked back in my bed (I am_ definitely_ buying new sheets after he leaves) so I was the only one talking to Mickey.

"You owe me money," I informed the Mouse, holding out my hand as if expecting him to cough it up right then and there. "And a new gaming system since Gaston tore mine up and it was _your _idea to make him come here in the first place."

If Mickey had had eyebrows, then he would've cocked one at me. "How do I know _he_ did it? You could've made that up."

My eyes lowered into a glare as I stared down at him. "I don't think Turbo or myself have the strength to break a Wii in _half_. So pay up. Those things are mildly expensive."

Mickey rolled his eyes at me. Why that little (censored)! "If you can't verify proof that he in fact caused the damage, I'm afraid I can't reimburse you."

If it were possible for smoke to come out of my ears, then I certainly would've been doing it now. I clenched my fists and was oh-so-tempted to knock him out of his over-sized shoes but I didn't. What would the world say about me if I punched out _Mickey Mouse?_

On the other hand, he had a point. I _could_ be making it up just to get extra money out of him… which really isn't that bad of an idea given all the trouble he's caused us.

"So what about my payment for _babysitting_?" I inquired of him instead, remembering that he'd said something about that before he left Gaston here.

Mickey snapped his fingers and then dug something out of his pocket and handed it to me. I observed the item which was…a twenty dollar bill. I pierced my eyes into Mickey's and held the bill up to his eye level.

"Seriously? Twenty bucks, that's it?"

Mickey issued his own glare. "Consider your tax return next year for being Turbo's Guardian as a payment if that doesn't suit you. You really don't have anything to complain about since you got what you wanted with him so I'd be counting my blessings if I were you."

Wow, really, Mickey Mouse is giving me life lessons now? I mean, yeah, I guess he has a point but still…and I didn't force him to sign Turbo over to me anyway. He could have shot me down the second I suggested it, so there.

I threw the money back at him which wound up softly thumping him in the nose before flittering down to the ground. "Forget cash, I want something else," I began in an authoritative voice, or at least what I thought sounded like one. "No visits to Disney World for three months."

Mickey wiped at his nose where the money had hit him and he bent down to swoop the bill back up, tucking it into his pocket. "_One_ month."

"Make it two."

We regarded each other with similar irritated looks, waiting for the other to back down or give up. At last, Mickey sighed gruffly and grumbled, "Fine, two months."

Ha! Victory is mine!

I offered him the fakest smile I could conjure up and informed him sweetly, "I'll go grab your _friend_."

I slammed the door in his face, not even bothering to ask if he wanted to come in, and huffed to my bedroom where Gaston was sprawled out on his back with his fingers laced on top of his stomach. I crossed my arms and cleared my throat to get his attention.

"All right, Pretty Boy Floyd, let's go," I commanded him bitterly, jutting my thumb behind me towards the front door. "Your ride's here."

I heard Turbo turn the shower off but the bathroom door was still closed so neither of us could see into the other room. The bathroom and bedroom share a wall, remember? Gaston sat up in one fluid motion and stretched his muscular arms out; _then_ he started twisting his neck to work the kinks out. For crying out loud, is he _stalling _or something? I'm so ready for him to leave that it's driving me insane!

"Dude, for real, grab your stuff and _go_ already!"

I know I sounded like I was begging but that was because I _was_ begging. I came close to going down on my knees and pleading with him to go but I didn't want to be _too_ dramatic. Plus, I think Gaston would _like_ having a woman go to her knees in front of him. Ughhhh.

He finally stood up and stretched his back out so that he was standing at his full height, standing directly in front of me now. Seriously? He's gonna put on a show while he's preparing to leave? Give me a _break_. Ugh, I feel sorry for Belle for having to have put up with this moron!

Turbo had opened the bathroom door even though I wasn't standing to where I could see him. I heard it though, obviously, plus the light from the bathroom illuminated my dark bedroom. At the same time that he was doing this, I found myself getting grabbed around my upper arms by Gaston, then I was slightly lifted off the floor and...

_BLECH!_

Before I could even _react_ to him picking me up, that big brute closed his eyes and..._UGH!_...he _kissed _me! He put his gross, nasty, clammy lips on mine and...it wasn't even a good kiss, okay, it was one of those rough rude kisses that kinda hurt. Everything was happening so fast but at the same time so slow. I felt absolute rage and disgust overwhelm my senses but before I could have time to process what defensive action I should take, he had already put me back down on the floor and smacked his lips.

I forcefully wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and then made a mental notation that I would need to wash that hand later. "What are you _doing_, are you _insane_, that's so_ disgusting_!" I shoved at his chest to make him get back further from me but since I'm so much smaller than him, it did absolutely nothing.

"_No one_ says goodbye like Gaston!" he grinned slyly at me before turning his attention behind me and giving Turbo a mock salute.

_Crap_, I forgot Turbo had opened the bathroom door right when this was going on! I turned my head to look at him and he had his eyes narrowed and staring straight at Gaston, his teeth bared, and he was breathing so hard and ragged that I thought he would eventually pass out. His fists were balled up by his sides and I could see them shaking so I knew he was trying to not lash out and punch the guy. Gotta say, I was proud of him for not getting physically violent, but at the same time I wished he _would_ slug Gaston in the face.

"Turbs, I'm fine," I assured him, even though I was still obviously aggravated, not to mention humiliated…and grossed out…and disappointed that my first kiss in several years was by _Gaston_.

Turbo didn't even say anything in response. He exhaled sharply, keeping the angry look on his face, and then brushed off past the two of us towards the door, grabbing his keys as he went. He swung the front door open and I saw him shove past Mickey and walk out of my line of sight. It wasn't too long that I heard his engine roar to life and then after that I don't know because I didn't hear anything. I guess he needed to go cool off. Personally, I felt really sick to my stomach and it wasn't just because I had a nasty surprise smooch either.

Gaston gave off a heaved sigh that sounded like he was pleased with himself, which made me feel even more nauseous, and he hiked his way over proudly with his luggage towards Mickey. The Mouse dared to grin at me and issue a good-bye wave before shutting my door for me and then going off to wherever it was he went. Jerk.

I wonder if I should call Turbs and tell him that they're gone. Then again, he's probably doing some angry driving right now and I don't want the phone call to distract him, subsequently causing him to wreck. That would be horrible; I'd never forgive myself if that happened. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give him a few minutes.

Yuck, I can still feel that barbarian's lips on mine. Yuck yuck yuck!

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

He…did that…on PURPOSE.

He was baiting me, I know he was. That stupid steroid-sucking freak only did that to see what I'd do. I'm not an idiot; it's no coincidence that he did that while Mickey was around, even though he didn't see anything due to him being behind a closed door. But mark my words, I bet it was a planned thing. They wanted to see if I'd go loco and knock someone's socks off to messing with Blondie, I know that's what it was.

That's why I had to get out of there. I came dangerously close to doing what they wanted and then it would've been game over for me. Not "game over" as in "death", just "game over" as far as me living in the Real World and all that jazz.

Not to mention I was JEALOUS, even though I know full and well that Blondie could care less about that jerk but the fact of the matter is that she got…

The scene played itself in my head and that only made me hit the accelerator harder. Driving fast always calms me down. It's like an outlet to release all the adrenaline and strong emotions that are built up in me. Good thing the highway was clear for the most part or else I'd be stuck in traffic and then I'd REALLY be mad.

I made it to the abandoned parking lot that I unofficially adopted in record time. I was cruising at a nice 120 mph and did my usual routine where I drove straight towards one end of the lot before slowing down in time to make a sharp turn and then doing the same thing in the other direction. Sometimes I drag out some orange traffic cones I found one day and weave in and out of those but right now I wasn't concerned with doing any fancy work.

I know I don't have a claim staked on her or anything, she can do whatever she wants but…it made me so ANGRY. That lunatic Gaston finally succeeded at making me lose my temper but at least I had enough sense to lose it somewhere else. And it wasn't even just the fact that he kissed her, it was that he did it simply to get under my skin. He doesn't give a rip about her; he was just using her to tick me off. The idea of someone doing that really tore me up inside, even though I'm fully aware that when I first came here I was using her myself so I could have a free ride in the Real World.

But I don't think like that anymore, I'm not USING her, and the thought that someone else did just to get to me just-

I slammed the brakes on and the car peeled itself out into an awkward sideways position. I shifted into Park and cut the engine, keeping my hands gripped on the steering wheel and started screaming at it. Screaming's a good way to get your emotions out too, it's even recommended on some doctor websites. Yeah, I look this crap up on the internet because I figured I needed some anger management tips, that's the only reason I know this junk.

After a good five minutes of verbally abusing my steering wheel and physically assaulting it what with my fingernails digging into rim, I finally tired myself out and rested my forehead against it. My breathing was coarse and ragged, my head was pounding, my throat raw, my teeth hurt because I was currently gritting them, my fingers were getting numb, my heart hurt, EVERYTHING hurt.

Why are they out to get me? What did I ever do to THEM? Not a darned thing, that's what. It's almost like people want to see me FAIL…but why? I bet none of the other villains who actually take their rehabilitation seriously have this problem. Come on, even Ralph and Vanellope are on good terms with me and I had tried to KILL them! Why can't everybody else just leave me alone and let me live my life, for code's sake.

I've been trying to be good for so long and I'm not exaggerating when I say it's a difficult task to keep up. It's against my nature, like I've explained before. Sure it's a lot easier to be good than it was a few months ago but I still have to work at it. It isn't fair that people are trying to trip me up! And I don't even know WHY they want me to fail at this! It goes against everything that stupid rehab center stands for, doesn't it? However, this IS the same place that threw me in a prison cell and left me there to rot just because I played a few pranks on people, so obviously they aren't as caring and supportive as they make themselves out to be.

You know, it'd be real nice to expose them for the hypocrites they are…heck, even Blondie would agree to help with that and she's not one to participate in rash behavior.

_I can't win, I can't reign...I will never win this game without you, without you._

Oh my WALT, she's CALLING me. And crap, so much for keeping her new ringtone a secret. I can't talk to her right now! Not when I'm in the middle of an emotional breakdown. I can't let her know how much that ignorant oaf and that sneaky rat upset me.

_I am lost, I am vain...I will never be the same without you, without you._

I pushed the "ignore" button on the phone so at least I wouldn't have to hear it anymore. I needed to have a few minutes to calm down first before I started talking to her. At this point I might say something that I'm not ready to say and she's not ready to hear and then things would just get WORSE.

* * *

**"Blondie's" POV**

_"Hi, this is Turbo! Can't pick up the phone right now because I'm too busy being turbo-tastic but I'll call back ASAP!"_

I frowned slightly when I didn't get an answer, even though I always usually smile and roll my eyes in a playful manner every time I hear his voicemail message, and I silently placed my phone on the breakfast bar so I'd have quick access to it for when-or-IF he called me back. I sat down on one of the barstools and rested my arms on it before lowering my head to rest my chin down on my forearms. Geez, I didn't think he'd be _that_ upset, so much that he'd run off and then not even answer the phone when I called.

Okay fine, I _did_ know he'd be that upset. I'd have to be a complete idiot to not notice his behavior around me as of late. I might constantly tell myself different or even ignore it, but that's because I'd rather not believe it. Actually, it's more like I'd_ like_ to believe it, but the possibility of things going horrifically wrong is scaring me to not accept the truth.

I might put up a big front by making myself seem fearless or tough and all those other favorable qualities, but deep down I'm _scared_. Like "peeing my pants" scared. The only time I honestly feel really brave is if I'm in a bad mood because _then_ I couldn't really give a rat's molasses about anything so I don't feel guilty or feel like a terrible person for getting smart with people. If it were up to me, I'd stay at home where it was safe all the time and settle for living on the internet with other like-minded people and where I can't get hurt by anyone. Or if I _do_ get hurt, all I gotta do is "block" or "ignore" someone or just turn the computer off or some other simple action.

Can't do that in "real life" though, you have to tackle problems head on and I'm honestly not one for confrontation. I actively try to avoid it but ever since Turbs showed up it seems like I've had to step outside my comfort zone more often than I ever have in my life. Which I guess is a good thing if I think about it enough.

And yet there's still a few things about Life that I'd rather not dive into just yet…heck, it's still scary to even tread through certain waters. Especially when it comes to how I feel…it's never easy admitting stuff like that…it'd be nice to get it off my chest, I suppose, but what if things go downhill afterwards? I'd feel like a total fool and I definitely don't want to go through that scenario.

_The highway won't hold you tonight...the highway don't know you're alive...the highway don't care if you're all alone...but I do, I do._

Hearing the phone suddenly ring made me jump in my seat, since I hadn't really been expecting it, and my heart immediately raced and my head started spinning from the surprise. And yes, I changed Turbo's ringtone, but don't tell him. The other one didn't really fit him anymore since he's not anywhere near as vain as he used to be.

_The highway won't dry your tears...the highway don't need you here...the highway don't care if you're coming home...but I do, I do._

Oh right, I guess I _should_ answer the phone before he gets my voicemail.

"Hey, Turbs," I greeted quietly, pulling my knees up to my chin and hugging them with my free arm. "You all right?"

It took him a few seconds to respond, which worried me. I worry too much, I'm told.

_"Yeah, I'm fine,"_ he finally answered me with a tired voice. _"They gone?"_

"They left not too long after _you_ did," I replied, rubbing one my legs now.

_"Oh…"_ His voice trailed off and I waited for him to say something else but he didn't.

"You sure you're okay?" I asked him worriedly. "You sure ran out of here in a hurry."

_"I just…"_ I heard him breathe heavily a few times before continuing. _"I HAD to leave or…or…I wanted to punch him in the face and I…" _

Turbs started breathing heavy again, almost sounding like it was paining him to do so.

"Didn't want to get in trouble for it?" I finished up for him.

It took him another few long seconds to just say, _"Yeah…"_

I bit my lip for a few seconds then added, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I wanted to punch him too….of course I might've broken my hand being that he's built like a boulder." I lightly laughed off the last part, hoping maybe it would ease up the mood.

_"Yeah, he is pretty big…"_ he said in a quiet voice. Crap, I didn't mean for him to feel insignificant or whatever.

"Oh well he's gone now and it's just us two again," I decided to say, making myself sound happy for his sake. "Anyway, I'm going to Wal-Mart to get some new bedding. If you want to pick out a new game system, you can come up there and find me so we pick something out. You can get whatever you want since you play more than I do anyway."

_"Mickey didn't pay you money for it?"_

I felt my stomach churn and I reluctantly said, "No."

Turbs called Mickey a very ugly word that I'm not going to repeat. To be honest, I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing because I didn't think he was saying it to be funny.

"Hey, but I _did_ manage to get you out of probation visits for two months," I notified him with a smile. "That's bound to better than any monetary payment, right?"

"_You did WHAT?"_ He sounded surprised, which is what I'd hoped for. "_Wow, no foolin'? Two_ _months_?"

"Yep, two whole months without having to go visit the Mouse or anyone else for that matter," I happily assured him.

"_You're the best, blondie_," he said in a soft complimentary manner. I could hear the smile in his voice, if that makes sense.

A big grin spread across my face hearing that. It's always nice being told that you did something right. "Aww, it was nothin', really," I tried to downplay it, feeling a hint bashful about it now. "Um…so I'm gonna go to the store now, you gonna come along or what?"

"_Hm? Oh yeah! I'll, I'll be there in a few_," he spat out quickly, giving off what sounded like a nervous laugh at the end. "_Um, see ya!"_

He hung up before I could say "bye", which slightly upset me but it wasn't anything to cry about so I just shrugged it off. Okay, so off to Wal-Mart!

* * *

_ (His ringtone for me is "Without You" by Usher and David Guetta. My ringtone for him is "Highway Don't Care" by Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift.)_


	50. The Art of Game Playing

**OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS...CHAPTER FIFTY! :O**

_girlgreenpandalime: I was too lazy to look up your profile to PM you lol. Glad you liked it :) Hope everything is doing okay with you!_

_apple: I had my reasons for using Gaston ;) I think Turbs and Randall would eventually have gotten along. ha, Mickey is a sneaky little mouse, eh? _

_That Guest Person: Yeah, I am kinda giving Mickey the jerk treatment, aren't I? He's really not that bad, he's just not too good at this business handling thing. And yes, Gaston kisses are YUCK :P At least he didn't give me the kiss of his people (the French kiss) lmao _

_ShayCandyBar714: I think my mind is so warped that these crazy things just naturally come to me in my sleep lol. I honestly have no idea where my ideas come from. And that's a cool find, that pin! I don't have that many reward points saved up so nothing cool is available to me yet :/  
_

_Knight Rider: Lol Ricky's my dad's name, I'd feel weird typing that XD_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

I got to Wal-Mart before Turbs did since I had a feeling that he had gone to that abandoned parking lot that he thought of as his own personal mini-track. I couldn't think of anywhere else he would've gone in an attempt to calm down. It would be a while before he showed up so I was able to take my time looking at comforter sets. Let's see, should I get something similar to what I had so I'll know it matches my décor? Or should I get something completely new?

I decided to go with something new but would still match my stuff. I have this really pretty Chinese painting of a vibrant turquoise bird with super long tail feathers (I'm not sure what breed it is) and it has rich browns around the borders of it, so I went with this set that had those colors mixed in it with a fancy design and also so bright turquoise sheets to go with it. I thought it looked really nice anyway.

It had taken me about twenty minutes to make my mind up as far as that goes and Turbo still wasn't here yet so I went ahead and headed over to the electronics section, which was located in the very back of the store. It wasn't too crowded yet over where the video game stuff was since most people were in the phones or movies part so I wasn't feeling too overwhelmed yet.

There was actually only one other person on the gaming aisle and he was crouched down looking at some PlayStation games that were on the bottom row. He had a Jeff Gordon cap on so I'll make the educated assumption that he's into NASCAR and racing in general. Naturally, I began wondering if he saw _Wreck-It Ralph_ since most of the movie takes place inside a racing game and also has a racing villain in it.

My thoughts were interrupted when someone poked my ribs from behind me, spooking me and making me turn around.

"You didn't make any poor purchase choices already, did you?" Turbs asked me with sly grin.

I gave him a wry smile and lightly shoved his shoulder to make him back up a bit. "If you'd taken any longer, I would've just bought the new Wii and been done with it."

He smirked and rolled his eyes at me, before getting on his tiptoes so he could see the games on the top row. They keep all the games locked up behind glass doors so you can't pick them up and read the backs of them like you can a movie. I'm not sure why they think they have to keep _those_ locked up but not any of the expensive televisions.

I figured he was looking for any new racing games that might have been released since we last bought any so I let my eyes wander. I noticed NASCAR Dude was still crouched down yet instead of staring at whatever game he had been looking at earlier, now he was staring up at the Turbs with large eyes that were framed behind a pair of glasses.

I stared back at him for a while, waiting for him to say something about either "Why does that guy have gray skin?" or (if he'd seen the movie) "How the heck is Turbo from _Wreck-It Ralph_ here?" but he didn't. He just kept staring at him like he was in complete shock. It started to unnerve me, plus I didn't want the guy to stay frozen like that forever, so I grabbed his cap and slapped him on top of the head with it to snap him out of his trance.

NASCAR Dude startled back and blinked a few times at me like he was just now seeing me for the first time. He stood up to his full height slowly and….crap, he's tall. Taller than Gaston even. He had to be over six feet so I now had to crane my neck painfully to look at him. He pointed at Turbo and then at me as if to silently ask if we were either together or if perhaps I too had noticed him standing there. Maybe he thought he was seeing things, I don't know.

Turbs was preoccupied looking at games so he wasn't even paying us any attention. I nodded at NASCAR Dude to walk with me to the other end of the aisle and I gave him his hat back, which he put on promptly.

He kept pointing in Turbo's direction and he asked me in a whisper, "Do you see what I see? That's Turbo from _Wreck-It Ralph_, right?"

Okay good, he saw the movie. At least I don't have to explain _that_ much. "Yes, that's him. Yes, he's real," I answered bluntly. I really hate having to repeat this story to people. "Long story, but all Disney characters are real and they live in their own special world in a different dimension. Turbo lives with _me_ as part of this rehabilitation program thing so if you're worried about him going psycho on you, he's not."

NASCAR Dude blinked at me again and then he finally snapped to his senses. "Oh, no no, I mean, I wasn't thinking he'd hurt me. It's just surreal seeing him standing in freakin' Wal-Mart looking at games like a normal person."

"He _is_ a normal person."

"What do you mean he's-," I think it finally dawned on him that he was a "real" person as opposed to fictional. "Right, normal person. Gotcha. Hey, you think he'd mind if I said 'hey' to him?"

I wanted to laugh but didn't want to be rude either. "Yeah, sure, he likes getting recognized."

He chuckled at that and said, "Oh yeah, of course he does. He's Turbo, of course he likes getting recognized!" He hung his head down and rubbed his head as if he were getting a headache from this sudden knowledge that "fictional" people are real and all that.

I'm just glad he didn't go on an anti-Turbo rant like that guy from the Dodge dealership. I motioned with my hand for NASCAR Dude to follow me and I approached the Turbs while he was still looking at games.

"Hey, Turbs, this guy wants to say 'hey'," I informed him, jutting my thumb behind me at our flabbergasted friend.

Turbo looked up at NASCAR Dude and before either of us could say anything, the dude had grabbed Turbo's hand and started shaking him really hard.

"Man, this is really cool meeting an actual movie character!" he said excitedly. "Though, no offense, I'd rather meet Vanellope or Ralph but this is still pretty awesome!"

He let go of Turbo's hand, and he had to kinda massage his wrist a bit since NASCAR Dude had a strong grip.

"Um, thanks, nice to meet you too," Turbo replied back, tossing me a quick unsure look. It's been a while since he's had someone give him an enthusiastic greeting like that. "And I think _everybody_ would rather meet them, to be honest."

"Anyways," I butted in. "My Wii got tore up by another guest we had over so we're trying to figure out which new one to get."

NASCAR Dude suddenly became very helpful. "Oh, get the PS3 for sure. Xbox sucks big time." He waved his hands over the PlayStation section to demonstrate where everything was.

Turbs peeked at the games for that system and asked, "They have good racing games for it?"

The dude kinda laughed at that as if it were the funniest question ever. "Do they have…yeah, they have great games for it!" He pointed at one in particular through the glass. "You ever played an actual NASCAR game? It's extremely realistic. You even get to choose if your car's tires wear down or not, just like in a real race!"

Why am I not surprised that NASCAR Dude would pick a NASCAR game for him to play? I had to lean over and squint to read the title: _NASCAR The Game: Inside Line_. Well, it looks like something Turbs' would play anyway. If I was going to play a racing game, which is rare, I'd rather have one that has power-ups and cute fantasy-like designs/characters in it.

Turbo was being the complete opposite of me, of course, like with most everything else. He seemed to like the idea of playing a realistic NASCAR race since these last few months, he started watching a few on the television. He didn't originally care to see them because he'd rather be _in _ the race as opposed to _watching _one. Also, I think it used to make him wish that he still _did_ race for real, so he would avoid watching them to keep from feeling sad.

"You get to pick real NASCAR drivers too?" Turbs asked you-know-who.

"Of course!" He suddenly narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low voice. "Just don't pick Jimmie Johnson…" He raised his brow at that. "You don't like him, do you?"

Oh brother. "He likes Gordon and Earnhardt Jr.," I piped up quickly.

NASCAR Dude's face changed back to being all friendly and stuff. "Okay, great then! You can pick any of their cars actually. And you can redesign the cars to fit each track so they'll go faster just like they do in real life."

Turbs looked at me the way a kid does when they see a toy they want _now_ rather than waiting until Christmas for Santa to bring it. "We have to get _this _one, blondie!"

NASCAR Dude was nodding at me and giving me a thumbs up._ Sigh_. I can't really ignore _two _guys, can I?

* * *

We didn't exit the store right away. Oh no. Turbo thought he had to chat with NASCAR Dude for another twenty minutes about you-know-what. I thought I was going to die of boredom. Not that racing's boring or anything, but I don't know _anything_ about it. I had silently disappeared to the book section to see if there was any Stephen King books out that I hadn't read yet, which there weren't.

Anyway, we got home and you'd think it was Christmas Day around here the way he was going on. He's so adorable when he's in a good mood, not that I ever tell him that, and I'm glad he wasn't still acting upset about what had happened earlier this morning. It took him a few minutes to set the thing up and he made himself read the instructions on how to work the controller since he was so accustomed to my wireless Wii controller.

"You gonna watch me play?" Turbo asked me after he finally got the game set up.

I groaned a bit but he gave me one of those puppy-dog looks that he knows I can't ignore. Lord help me, he knows me a little _too_ well. I plopped down on the couch beside him, crossing my legs Indian-style like little kids do, and reclined back against the couch. Kitty strolled along from wherever she had been hiding from and sniffed around the PlayStation box for a few seconds before crawling inside of it to curl up and take another nap.

So anyway, I had to sit here and watch Turbs go through this garage scene where he got to start the race and then a bunch of options popped up. He had to pick the driving team he wanted first and since he wanted Jeff Gordon, he picked Hendrick Motorsports and then Gordon himself. He likes the AARP Drive To End Hunger car because it has a lot of burgundy on it as opposed to the other cars, and burgundy _is_ a shade of red and of course Turbo likes things that are red.

So anyway, then he had to pick which track he wanted and since we were planning on going to the one in Daytona, he wanted to play on that track.

"See, that's where we're going!" he exclaimed happily, pointing at the screen. Some other options came up and good heavens I'm so bored and then Turbs said, "Huh, you can't pick how many laps in this game. It gives it in percentages. Which one should I do?"

Why is he asking _me_? "I dunno…might as well do the whole 100 percent. That's probably as long as a real race lasts."

He reached a hand up and lightly scratched the back of my head through my hair. "You're so smart, blondie. I never even thought of that."

My breathing hitched when he did that and I'd be lying if I said I wished he'd quit, which is what he did anyway. What? It feels nice having your head scratched, okay? Especially when the person doing is the person that you kindahaveacrushon but don't wanttotellhim because you're scaredofwhatmighthappen.

I had to turn my face away for a few seconds so I could mentally force myself to quit blushing. By the time I turned my head back forwards, the game had finally gotten to the short animation deal right before the actual game begins. There was a few shots of the track and some fake audience members, some jets flying overhead, and then these two announcer guys started talking just like we were about to witness a real live race. At least Turbs was excited about this and since him being excited about anything is always a treat to witness, I figured I might as well try to enjoy myself with this. I hate to be the one to put a damper on his mood.

"Wait a minute, I thought you had to qualify first?" I felt the need to ask. I only know this because I have a younger cousin that is real into NASCAR as well, though we haven't spoken in a while, and I kinda remember some stuff that she'd say.

"You weren't paying attention when I skipped that option," he told me, not taking his eyes off the screen. "But yeah, that_ is_ how a real race would work, kinda like when we did the Random Roster Race in _Sugar Rush_ to see who would be allowed to race the next day. Except, obviously, there's more than nine racers, there's a maximum of forty-three."

"So if there's forty-three people racing, that means the guy that came in last place can still race? What the heck's the point in _that_?"

"So they'll know what position they can be in for the actual race. The people that qualified the highest get to start closer to the line."

Oh. I guess that makes sense. I always feel stupid when talking about stuff I know nothing about. Anyway, the game itself finally started and…what, there's no music in this game?! Oh for the love of 90s Nickelodeon, this really _is_ realistic! There's not a dead-blasted song in this game! Oh someone help me! I got to sit here and watch him play a video game with no music in it and no power-up items or anything! I might as well find a sports channel somewhere and watch a _real _race!

Instead of music, you got to listen to this guy talking to you giving you pointers I guess like they do in real life. I'm sure he has a name but I don't know what it is. Apparently all these people talking are real NASCAR people but I'm not educated enough to know who they are. The speedometer in the bottom right corner said he was going about 185 mph, which if you ask me is supersonic fast. Of course this is coming from someone who has never driven over 90 mph so perhaps to an actual racecar driver, 185 is really slow. I'm not sure.

"How fast can you actually go anyway?" I decided to ask while I was thinking about it.

"Two hundred would be the top," Turbo answered me without looking away from the screen. He was concentrating pretty hard it seemed, even more so than he does any of his other games. Maybe this one is harder than the others, I don't know.

The rear-view mirror function in the top center screen showed some guy riding his tail. I thought that was pretty rude. I hate it when people tailgate me.

"Why is he riding your bumper like that?" I wanted to know. I couldn't tell which driver it was because I'm not familiar with that many cars. "He can't pass you if he's doing that so what's the point?"

"He's not, he's riding in the draft from _my_ car so he goes faster," Turbs explained…kinda. "It's aerodynamics; the air splices around my car and it makes less resistance for _his_ car so he's using it to speed himself up without him actually having to press down on the gas pedal."

"Isn't that cheating?"

"No, it's perfectly legal. They do it all the time."

"But he's using your car to do the work for him."

"That's the whole point, blondie, but it's still legal."

I didn't think it sounded very fair but whatever. All of a sudden, the car that had been doing this drafting thing swooped around and BANG! He took off super fast around him!

"How the heck did he do that?" I started griping. "These computer-operated cars are cheating!"

"Geez, you're getting more excitable about this than I thought you would," Turbs commented humorously with a slight smile. "That's a result from the draft thing; he used that to slingshot himself around."

"How come _you're_ not doing that?"

"Because I haven't gotten _close_ enough to anybody in front of me."

"Then _speed up_."

"I'm going as fast as I can, chill out. I have to get used to this traction stuff on here. This game is insanely realistic."

I have no idea what he's talking about. Anyway, I have no idea why I even want to know any of this stuff. Maybe it's because I'm being forced to sit here and watch and there's nothing better for me to do.

"How come some people are riding closer to the wall thing and other people are riding closer to the median?"

"They're trying to find the fastest way to get around the track." He was on lap four now I think. It's hard for me to understand all the stuff that's on the screen. "Sometimes it's faster to ride the 'high line' which is closer to the wall and sometimes it's faster to take the 'low line' which is closer to the apron. "

"The _what_?"

I think I'm starting to get on his nerves with all these questions. "What you're calling 'close to the median', if you want the _very_ simple definition."

"Oh…so how do you know which is faster?"

I saw him briefly roll his eyes which was a sheer indicator that I was driving him insane. "It depends on a variety of factors. First of all, each track is different from each other. Typically, the lower line is faster and shorter but you can use higher line in case something happens with your tires, or if you need to be more stable, so on and so forth. And each car is set up differently from the others after the drivers' alter them. So there's not really a straight answer for that."

Wait, the cars are altered? What the heck does that mean? I wanted to ask but he was looking a little annoyed right now so I guess I better shut up and let him play in silence for a while.

That lasted about three minutes.

"What do you mean the cars are altered?" I couldn't stop my inquisitive mind from asking out loud. "What if they're using some illegal engine booster or whatever those things are called?"

Turbo pushed a button to put the game on "Pause" and then he slowly turned and looked at me with this very serious expression. "Are you asking this stuff because you really want to know or are just that bored?"

Ouch.

"Well gee, _pal_, if you're gonna make me sit here and watch this," I started off, motioning towards the television, "And then drag me off to a real race in Daytona, it'd be nice to have a little knowledge about what I'm watching, don't you think? Unless you'd rather me yak during a real live race and annoy the audience around us."

"It'll probably be too loud for me to hear you anyway," he informed me flatly, resting the controller in his lap for the time being. He rubbed at his eyes with one hand while the other stayed rested on his knee. "What all exactly do you know about cars?"

"You mean besides putting gas in it? Um…" I had to think about that one. I could see Turbo giving me a blank look out of the corner of my eye, probably thinking to himself how the heck he got stuck with someone that doesn't know anything about what he was originally designed for. "And you have to go to the oil changing place to get new fluids. Oh, and you get new paperwork like stuff in the mail every year." I thought some more. "And get new windshield stickers."

He kept looking at me in silent disbelief, which only made me feel nervous.

"Except windshield stickers can be bought every _two _years now instead of _every_ year," I decided to add, trying to make myself sound a tiny bit more intelligent.

Turbs turned his head away and put a hand against his eyes and forehead, hissing his breath through his teeth as if he were in pain. I suppose my lack of basic car expertise was physically hurting him.

"How is that I came to live with someone that knows next-to-nothing about vehicles?" he muttered aloud, still not looking at me.

I lowered my eyes at him, partially offended. "You escaped Disney World by teleporting yourself to my front door close to midnight and then invited yourself in before practically forcing me to take care of you."

He coughed a laugh and slid his hand down his face slowly before looking at me again. "Not to mention, you're a smarty-pants," he said mostly to himself even though he obviously meant for me to hear it.

He scooted down to the other end of the couch where the magazine rack was at and he dug around for about a minute before finding whatever it was he was looking for. Turbs tossed this big yellow book at me like a Frisbee and it landed nicely in my lap. I had to turn it around to read the cover: _NASCAR for Dummies._

It was my turn to give him a disbelieving look. "I am _not_ going to sit here and read this," I stated firmly, pointing down at the book. "You're out of your mind."

Turbo scooted back down to where he had been sitting at originally and picked his controller back up. "Blondie, _please_," he said in a begging voice. "I'm trying to enjoy myself here. I can't do that if I'm constantly answering questions."

"But if I read this, then I'll just be asking you to clarify something I don't understand," I countered back. "So you might as well just answer me like you were doing earlier."

"I don't know _everything_," he admitted to me. "Just read the dang book."

I tossed the book on the other side of me. "_You_ read it to me."

"I am _not_ reading that entire book to you."

"I bet my dad would read it to me."

"I'm not your dad."

"Good, because that would make things extremely awkward between us, I think."

_Ha! Like they're not already? _was my immediate thought after I said that.

Turbo gave me an intense look from the side before heaving a sigh and rolling his eyes up. He then went back into the game's main menu, the scene that looked like the inside of a garage, and pulled up some extra option stuff.

"See this?" he asked me, pointing a finger at the screen. "Every car is built the exact same way. The driver can add or take away parts depending on which track he's at to make his car handle in the best way possible. So every car is now different because everybody has their own personal taste in how they want their car to drive. It's like figuring out a puzzle, only there are multiple solutions."

Oh. Well, that makes sense.

"_See_, you could've told me that a long time ago and it only took you ten seconds to even say it," I told him somewhat smugly. "How do you know all this stuff anyway?"

He gave me a prideful smile. "I read the book _plus_ magazines. Plus, it helps that I'm already a racer so it all made sense right away."

I crossed my arms and gently flopped back against the couch. "Gee, aren't _you_ special?"

He grinned widely at me as his answer to my rhetorical question. I smiled and rolled my eyes in response. What a goofball.

"Hey, there's a multiplayer option, you want to play?" he offered to me once he looked back at the screen.

My face fell when he said that. "You know I'm no good at these…"

"You got first place in _Sugar Rush_."

"Only because I got a power up box at the last second," I mumbled, looking down at the carpet with my hands folded up in my lap.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," I heard him tell me in a serious voice, which was enough to make me look back up and over at him. He fiddled with something on the screen for a minute before scooting over a bit and patting his hand on the spot that he _had_ been sitting in. "Come here. I'll help you out."

I studied him for about five seconds to make sure he was being serious; when I deduced that he _was_, I scooted down to where I'd be sitting directly in front of the television and he handed me the remote. I'll be honest, I've only ever played on Nintendo consoles before so holding a PlayStation controller was _very_ odd for me. I'm used to pushing A, B, X or Y...not triangles, circles or squares!

"I put it on 'easy' for ya," he told me, going ahead and pushing some other button on the controller; which one, I don't know because I was looking at the screen. Anyway, yadda yadda yadda, the game started and there I was hopelessly about to take over driving Jeff Gordon's car. I have this weird feeling that he gets a mental tingle in his brain every time someone wrecks his car in a game.

"Steer with the left analog stick and you make the car move with R2," Turbs instructed me, pointing briefly at where that last button was located.

Okay sounds easy enough. Basically like every other racing game I've ever played...and failed miserably at. The countdown started on the screen and...take off! I cringed about five seconds into the game because some car (I don't know which one) rammed itself into my front right side and made me do a half-spin thing, which further allowed the guy behind me to ram into me more and then start bulldozing me forward until he was able to move me out of the way. I groaned as I tried to get the car to turn back around but I ended up facing the wrong direction.

Why do I suck at these games so bad? This is worse than when I tried to play old-school Mario Bros. and I kept making little Mario get killed by the first Goomba in the level. True story.

So there I was trying get poor Jeff Gordon to turn around in his car (I wonder if he buys these games and plays as himself?) and making an utter fool of myself. I never even noticed Turbs getting closer to me on the couch until I felt one of his arms wrap around me. It was so unexpected that I stiffened up quite a bit and even more so when both his hands ended up on top of mine so he could help me control the car.

"Relax," he said in this really soft voice, using his thumb that was on top of mine to make the little analog stick turn in a circle so the car would go in the correct direction. His other hand was pushing buttons on the other side of the controller by pushing _my _fingers so it was kinda like I was the one doing the work when it really wasn't.

_Relax_, he says! _RELAX?!_ How am I supposed to relax with him practically on top of me like this? I couldn't even pay attention to the dang game anymore, I was just staring at it blankly. He shifted a little bit so he'd get more behind me instead of exactly beside me, I guess so the arm he had thrown around me wouldn't be so sore.

"You okay?" he asked me and heck no does it look like I'm okay? I can't even breathe! His heart's beating into one of my shoulder blades and...

"Y-yeah, fine," I answered him, trying to act as normal as possible even though I could fell that slight quiver in my voice. For Pete's sake, I'm acting like a dang teenager! If I were able to, I'd physically slap some sense into myself.

Okay, this is fine. Nothing's happening. He's just helping me play the game is all.

"The controls are sensitive so don't press so hard on them," he was practically _purring_ at me and I felt him lean his head a little closer to mine. How do I know that he did this? Gee, for starters he was talking in my ear, or should I _purring_ in my ear really since that's the only word I can say to describe it appropriately. Not to mention, he was putting more of his weight on me now so in order to prevent myself from falling forward, I had no choice to but press back.

_"_What're you shaking for?"

The question came out of nowhere and I felt my already rabid heart rate speed up even more, all the blood seeming to rush into my head.

"Huh?" was the only thing I could think of to say since honestly I had no idea what he was talking about.

"You," he repeated, a hint of humor in his voice. "You're shaking."

I forced what ended up being a nervous laugh and I felt like strangling myself. "I...I'm kinda cold...that's all."

"I feel fine," was the casual reply he gave me right before he leaned his head even closer up against mine. "Oh look, you went two laps without crashing!"

Is he serious? Is he _SERIOUS_? Oh sweet merciful God, I'm about to go into full-blown panic attack mode and here he is casually commenting on the freakin' _game _as if this is how we spend all our afternoons together! Ughhhh why am I such a nutcase? Why can't I just _relax_? I just want to be a normal person and let things happen that are good happen to me without me freaking out about it.

Okay, calm down. If I can relax with him being all snuggled up with me in the bed, I should be able to handle this. Breathe...in and out...in and out...

My head still felt all fuzzy but I eventually got myself to stop being so tense anyway. Breathing techniques work rather well apparently. Once my muscles relaxed, I felt a lot better even though I still had that nagging anxious feeling there, which was only natural given the circumstances I was in.

You know, it actually felt pretty nice sitting here like this. Like...like it was _normal_. That probably sounds insane after I just had a mental freak out but now that I'm calmed down, this does feel rather natural. I allowed myself to recline a bit so I wouldn't feel like I was holding up all of Turbo's weight on me. I felt him sigh a little so I guess he was comfortable...or something like that. Or maybe he was glad that I finally settled down.

Me and Guy never did stuff like this...just chill and hang out. He always had to be dramatic or extreme about things. Like, for example, he'd watch a movie and get this idea in his head that we had to do exactly what they did in the movie and it had to "perfect" and he'd get mad if things didn't go exactly right. It was rather stressful doing this and the majority of the time I felt like I was acting in a live roleplay game or something. Nothing ever felt genuine because it was forced. So I guess it's odd that I stuck around with him for so long. Well, that's because I'm speaking from experience now. Back when we were actually together, I was young and naive and since he was also my first boyfriend, I just accepted all this stuff as normal. It wasn't until years later that I realized nothing was normal about it.

So yeah, it's nice to just sit here and do nothing except play mindless video games. _This_ is what normal people do. I could get used to this.

If I'd _let_ myself get used to it.

I _want_ to love him but I'm going to _die_ later on at some point and then he'll be all alone and sad and I can't do that to him. It's like in _Lord of the Rings_ when Arwen's father told her that she couldn't be with Aragorn because she was going to live forever after he died and she would be destined to wander around like a forgotten ghost for the rest of her eternity. I mean yeah sure they got the situation taken care of but...I don't think that can happen in our case.

It's not fair.

"You can always get up if you're bored."

Turbo's voice wasn't exactly expected and I jolted a little when I heard it. "Wh-what?"

"If you're bored," he repeated himself slowly, "you don't have to sit here. It's not gonna hurt my feelings."

I have this feeling that he's lying about that...but at least he's giving me the option of whether or not I want to get up or not.

"Well, I...I think you'd have more fun playing this on your own," I had to admit to him.

I felt a low chuckle travel from him into my back. "It'd be _easier_ anyway." He paused the game and unwrapped himself from around me, which gave me an instant feeling of freedom and at the same time this feeling of loneliness. He scooted himself back a bit so he could recline back against the couch and play more comfortably. "You can still sit by me if you want."

I could croak. And...oh for crying out loud, he was just hanging on top of me, it's not going to kill me to _sit_ by him!

"It's technically _my_ couch so I can sit wherever I want on it," I commented to him, scooting back a bit so I could sit by him, but not too close since I was pushing my limits enough as it was. Why am I being such a spazz?

"Gee, someone got in a smart aleck mood," Turbo replied back in a playful manner as he switched his game's settings back to being more difficult. "You get that vacation approved you asked your boss about?"

The sudden change of subject startled me for a second but then finally it sank into my mind what he was talking about. "Uh...yeah...yeah I did."

We were planning to go to Daytona pretty soon and I got approved to have two weeks off, which was a big shock since our boss doesn't seem to like approving vacation that often. We were going to drive there, how I was going to survive this I don't know, but Turbo wanted to see the country first hand so yeah...driving across the country with the Turbs. Should be interesting.

Any further conversation was interrupted by a random series of knocks at the door. _Now_ what?

"That better not be Mickey with another wayward villain in need of babysitting," Turbo muttered out loud as I got up to answer the door.

Oh it's just Pest Control, he comes by and sprays the apartments once a month for bugs. I had to let him in, of course, unless I just wanted to have insects crawling around. We tend to have a nice bug problem in the South at certain times of the year. He only took a minute to spray the place before leaving but the momentary interruption killed any kind of tension in the room, even though it wasn't even a _bad_ tension once I had gotten myself to calm down.

Even though I don't know why I'm even fooling myself with this...as nice a thought as it is, it won't work for reasons I've already stated in the past. I feel so conflicted. I want it but I don't. I'm not sure which direction to go in. I wish life came with a map. I've made so many bad choices in my life, what if this is another one?

Still, I did allow myself to rest my head on his shoulder while watching him play.

* * *

_Big huge thank you to my author bud "Wreck-It Ralph" with all the help on NASCAR and general racing information! Hopefully I didn't flub something up._

_And I know some of you guys probably think I'm really dragging this romance thing out a long time but it will pay off, I promise. No need to rush anything, you know ;)_


	51. Top Secret Disney World Meeting

**Just want to thank everyone again who is reading this story :) *mwah* **

_ShayCandyBar714: lol yes you tell him that! Not sure if he'll listen to you though ;) So jealous, I've never been to a Disney theme park! But my sister and I are hoping that we can go next year if she can get her half of the trip saved up before then (she doesn't want to owe me money is why she won't let me pay her way). And that is turbo-tastic that it considers that as a real word! XD  
_

_That Guest Person: I can't believe this fic has gotten so big XD This beast is definitely the biggest task I've ever taken on. And yup, this is definitely not a 3-day Disney romance that's for darn sure XD. Well, I figured if he's gonna be a "car expert" he needed to prove it so it was fun having him act all smart with me just being like O.o lol_

_apple: oh okay, yeah that makes sense about locking up the games and stuff. And Turbs is getting closer ;)_

_silverstar: here's a short one for ya!_

* * *

**Top Secret Disney World Meeting**

Mickey cast his eyes over at his two guests, Gaston and the other person, the one that he had been on the phone with earlier in the week. They were all three gathered in the Mouse's office with the door shut, with Mickey behind his desk and the other two on the opposite side.

Mickey cleared his throat and folded his hands on top of his desk and smiled. "Well, now that we're all here...Gaston, how was your trip to the Real World?"

The large Frenchman kicked his feet up on Mickey's desk, much to his chagrin, and replied, "No one enjoys the Real World like Gaston!

The other person rolled their eyes and threw their hands up in the air. "This is getting us nowhere! Just tell us whether or not Turbo and that human are in some form of relationship or not and, if they are, did he seem like he would HURT anyone to keep her safe?"

Mickey frowned and rubbed one of his ears in a nervous gesture. "Uh, I don't think he can fully comprehend complex sentences like that…"

Gaston surprised them both by answering, "No one noticed anything like Gaston. No one saw any indications of that happening like Gaston. Also, no one witnessed him AVOID punching my lights out like Gaston."

He said everything almost as if he'd been rehearsing it for this very moment, not so much as a hint of doubt in his words. Mickey allowed himself to sigh silently, hoping that would be what he would say. A failed villain was not exactly what he wanted to deal with, especially if they were loose in the Real World where they could cause harm to people. After all, it had been his ultimate decision in letting Turbo go free and he didn't want to hear any backlash from any of the others if this little "experiment" of his were to fail.

"Thank you, Gaston," he genuinely smiled at him. "You've been most helpful. Lefou's out in the hallway waiting on you if you wish to go."

Once Gaston left, Mickey's other guest slammed their fists against the arms of the chair they were sitting in, a very angry look on his/her face. "That wasn't helpful at all! Turbo probably suspected that Gaston was sent there to spy on them and put on an act in front of him!

The Mouse grew weary of hearing this talk. "That's ENOUGH. You heard the man," he motioned towards the chair Gaston had been sitting in. "He said nothing happened between them and that we have nothing to worry about as far as Turbo causing any harm. Just let it go."

"NO!" the other shouted, getting angrier by the second. "I will NOT let it go. Gaston's a mental case, you really expect him to notice EVERYTHING? Of course not! I'm telling you, Turbo was purposely holding back on doing anything while he was around! The guy's not an idiot, he's a paranoid person when it comes to people finding out his secrets. Don't you know anything about any of us? Did you even WATCH the movie? What kind of leader are you?"

Mickey held up a hand, having heard enough. "I'm not going to waste my time and resources on this witch hunt anymore. If you think that he's up to something so badly, then figure it out yourself. I'm done with this. Find something worth bringing to my office and THEN we'll talk again."

"But-"

"Do I make myself clear?" Mickey said in an uncharacteristically low voice, his eyes narrowed in frustration. "Unless I have absolute proof that what you're claiming is in fact the truth, I don't want to hear another word."

His guest sneered at him before hopping up out of the seat and heading for the door, opening it and then slamming it upon exiting. "You want proof?" he/she said under their breath. "I'LL get you proof. And then you'll feel like an idiot for not believing me. I just have to figure out what to do to make this happen."

_And maybe it'll even cost you your position as the face of Disney_, was the added mental thought.

"Proof of what?"

The unexpected voice spooked the mysterious figure into spinning around and then looking up to look into the squinted eyes of one Randall Boggs. "None of your business!" was the reply they gave, obviously irritated and flustered at being overheard.

The multi-limbed monster had a small cup of coffee in his top left hand and he leaned down to squint harder. "I should really wear my glasses more often," he muttered to himself, the end of his tail curling into a small spiral design. "You don't look familiar so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you're not a villain."

"Puh, I might as _well_ be the villain," the stranger responded darkly in a low voice. "The way I hear it, the fandom _prefers_ the villain over me. Now if you'll _excuse_ me."

Randall found himself getting shoved to the side with more force than he had thought the stranger would be able to muster, some of his coffee spilling on the floor below. He grimaced at this, all of his pointy teeth showing as he did so, and he had to shift all four of his feet to balance himself again and also avoid stepping in the coffee.

"I don't know who you are," Randall growled under his breath as the figure disappeared down the hall. "But I've got my eyes on you."

* * *

_Monster's University is awesome! Go see it if you haven't already :) I liked it better than the original one if I must be honest. Also, to my fellow Americans, have a happy Fourth of July tomorrow :D_


	52. The Other Turbo

**Teeny tiny Monster's University spoiler in this one, I put a bold "SPOILER" before and after it so you guys could skip it if you wanted. It's not even a big spoiler, I think it was in the previews but just wanted to be careful since the movie JUST came out. **

_That Guest Person: I can do a pretty good "evil" Mickey laugh lol. I liked MU better than MI because it was more fun to me, plus I'm a sucker for a good college movie and I liked more of the characters in it. And yeah I know, I'm surprised this thing gets attention at all to be honest because self-inserts are usually the last thing people want to read. _

_absolutebanana: Nope, he's the only one! In the instance when someone DOES say my real name, I just write "I heard him say my name" lol. I get called "blondie" every now and then in real life as a joke though. _

_apple: Not gonna say who the Stranger is until the reveal ;) *evil laugh* And yes Randall's so adorable with his big ol' glasses 8) _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

It is now July 2013 and most people have heard of that new movie that is coming out by DreamWorks called _Turbo_. The only person who _hasn't _heard about it is...well, Turbo. Yes, I have somehow managed to successfully keep the Turbs from seeing any previews for this film...or rather it was sheer dumb luck that he hadn't stumbled across a television ad for it since we DVR everything and he can fast-forward through them.

That all changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

Oops, sorry, my bad. Always wanted to say that. Ignore my nerd moments.

Anyway, the moment Turbo found out that another Turbo existed who also happened to be a racer was definitely _not_ a pretty moment. I had just gotten out of the shower and dried off, thrown on my pajamas, and exited the bathroom and made my way into the living room. Turbo had been watching _The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift _and it was one of the rare times that we were watching something without it being pre-recorded, so we had no choice but to watch commercials. Anyway, I'd already seen it so I had decided to take a quick shower during it. When I got back to the living room, that's when _it_ happened.

Turbs was sitting straight up on the edge of the couch as opposed to sitting all the way back against it like he normally does and he had this look of general annoyance on his face, with his eyes narrowed slightly and the beginning of a sneer forming. His yellow eyes were glued to the screen and he appeared to be frozen that way. I stood at the door separating my bedroom from the living area and saw the little snail named Turbo on the television screen wishing that he could "be fast" and then another scene came up where he was riding on top of a race car. _Then_ he got sucked into the car and absorbed some kind of fluid that ended up turning him into a little speed demon. Literally. The preview also showed him going faster than an actual race car and even going _under_ the cars to pass them.

The travesty ended and yet Turbo still didn't move from his frozen position. Worried that perhaps he had suffered an identity crisis that was strong enough to render him into a vegetative state, I tiptoed up to him and cautiously asked him if he was okay. After what felt like hours, when really it was only a few seconds, Turbs slowly turned his head towards me and asked in a very flat voice,

"Did you see that?"

I couldn't really say that I _hadn't_ seen it, especially since I've known about this movie for a couple months now, so I nodded in response. My stomach felt like it was in knots as I waited for him to have a meltdown or a freak out or _something_.

Turbs turned his head back to face the television and he added, "It's a snail...with my name...that becomes a racer...through a freak accident..." He started gripping the sides of the couch cushion he ws sitting on. "No skill whatsoever...and he's going _under the cars_." I saw him slowly develop an angry expression on his face, bared teeth and everything. "So he's _cheating_...with his 'magic powers'."

I stood there with my wet hair dripping cold water droplets all over my nice dry pajamas for another few seconds before sitting by him, putting one arm across his upper back. He was breathing heavily and I could tell he was furious now. With my free arm, I reached around to grab the remote that was sitting on the other side of him and put the tv on "pause", then put the remote between us.

"Hey, hey come on. It's not the snail's fault that he has the same name as you," I said calmly, even though to be honest I was a little ticked at the coincidence. "And DreamWorks was probably developing this movie around the same time that _your_ movie was, so they couldn't have possibly known about you. Especially considering that you're a 'spoiler' character."

Turbs shook his head in a negatory fashion. "That's not the main reason I'm upset. It's that he's _cheating_. He didn't even have to _learn_ anything about racing except to go fast." He was trembling excessively, his muscles really tight. "That's like a slap in the face to people who actually had to work their way up. It's...it's _blasphemy_."

I...never thought of it like that before.

"He didn't have to do anything except get his freaky mutant powers and that's it!" He continued, throwing a hand out towards the television for a brief second before putting it back down beside him. "He can't even fully appreciate what he has because he didn't work for it!"

I tried to swallow but my mouth was too dry. "Well...we don't know _everything_ about it yet...it might be cute for the younger kids..."

He knew that I was making up bullcrap reasons to not hate the movie so much and he shot me a glare from the side, something he hadn't done too often as of late. "Don't bother defending it when you're thinking the exact same thing _I_ am," he growled before hanging his head down to scowl at the floor.

My stomach sank since he was correct and I slid my arm off of his back, placing my hands in my lap and lacing them together. I tucked my chin down and looked off to the side, not knowing what to say.

"I can't believe that stupid snail shares my name," Turbs said under his breath. "People are going to associate the name _Turbo_ with something that is served at rich people's dinner parties."

If the mood hadn't been so serious, I would've laughed at that. I shifted my eyes back in his direction and tilted my head just a hair so I could see him. His facial expression had softened into one that looked more pained rather than furious.

"What if people forget about me?" he said in such a quiet voice that it was heartbreaking to hear. "Like they did in my puny little backstory?"

"Hey, hey," I quickly interrupted him before he could dwell further into darker thoughts, putting my arm back around him and resting my head against his shoulder again as I gave him a little side hug. "No one's gonna forget about you. You _live_ in the Real World where people see you everyday, ya know."

"I _know_ that but..." He sighed heavily, closing his eyes as he did so. "It could still happen. I might end up in the Wasteland...where Mickey's half-brother rabbit guy lives. Oscar."

I smiled faintly as I corrected him. "Oswald."

"Whatever."

I absent-mindedly rubbed his back in little circles. "I don't think you have to worry about going there, Turbs. Even if the general public forgets about you, _I_ won't." I hugged him a little closer to me, subconsciously hoping he didn't care that I was getting his sleeve wet since my hair was still dripping. "And I'd like to think I'd be enough to keep you out of there."

_Whoa_ that came out mushier than I wanted it to. I sat up straighter and put my hands back in my lap, my face feeling a little hot. "I mean, I think as long as one person remembers you, then you're not truly forgotten."

I wanted to input a _Rise of the Guardians _example but he hasn't seen that movie yet so he wouldn't get the reference.

Turbo turned his head to look at me and gave me a lop-sided smile before patting his hand on top of mine a few times. "I know what you mean. Sorry I got all dramatic on ya."

I chuckled in spite of the situation and pushed myself backwards on the couch to get more comfortable. "I should be used to 'dramatic' by now." I grabbed the remote again and put the television back on "play" and then "fast-forward" so we could get to where we needed to be in the movie.

He eased back in the couch too and after another few seconds he laughed and said, "I'd like to see that little snail try and beat _me_ in a race. He tries to go under _my _car, I'll run him over."

Imagining that in my head made me bust out laughing, even though it was rather diabolical of him to say that. We both had a good laugh about it before I snuggled up beside him better and finished watching our movie.

I love little moments like this.

* * *

**_Later that night..._**

_I was surrounded by destruction and chaos; Sugar Rush citizens were running past me as I stood at the starting line...I could tell they were screaming because they had their mouths open but the sound was muted. A warm orange glow washed over the landscape and I looked behind me to see an OUT OF ORDER sign plastered to the game's dual screens. Cracks laced through the ground as if it had been severely dehydrated or like there had been an earthquake recently. The large sign that normally stood over the starting line was snapped in half and had fallen over onto the karts that had been lined up behind it. _

_"What's going on?" I tried to ask a green Gummi Bear as he waddled past me but my voice came out slow and deep, like I was talking through a voice modifier. Taffyta suddenly visualized from thin air and ran up to me, her mascara running all over her tanned face. _

_"Run!" she shouted at me, obviously terrified of something. "He's lost his mind! He isn't who he seems anymore!"_

_I kneeled down and placed my hands on her shoulders so I could look into her teary blue eyes. "Who?"_

_"The monster!" was all she said before she ran through me like a ghost. My brain felt fuzzy and I had no idea what she was talking about. Monster?_

_I blinked and found myself near Diet Cola Mountain, not a soul to be found. I saw smoke and fire rising from the volcano's opening and I tried to make myself run from it but my feet felt heavy. I looked down and it appeared that I was stuck in green taffy, th e same kind that Ralph had fallen into when he first met Vanellope, and it swirled and bubbled around me. _

**_-SPOILER-_**

_I heard the sound of a kitchen timer dinging and I looked to the right of me, the image of Randall Boggs wearing a pink apron with hearts all over it appearing out of nowhere. He was removing a tray of something from an oven that was standing close to a dead candy cane tree...I reasoned that it was dead because instead of red stripes, it had black ones and the white parts were gray in color, plus it was wilting. _

_In the blink of an eye, Randall appeared in front of me, his eyes black as ink and oozing white cake frosting out of them. He had no readable expression on his face as he held up a cupcake for me. I had to squint to read the blood-red, scribbled writing on it: ALONE. _

**_-END SPOILER-_**

_Fear took a hold of me as he disappeared from my view, my heart pounding so loudly I could hear it echoing around me. A few yards away, I saw a shadow looming closer until I could see who it was. I recognized him instantly...but he wasn't supposed to look like that. _

_King Turbug's enormous frame filled my vision, the only thing I could see as my eyes locked onto his. His face constantly flickered back and forth between his own and King Candy's, red pixels scattering and rearranging themselves each time and the sound of crackling electricity filled the air. His eyes kept the same ominous yellow glow, pupils absent as he observed me, his large head looming above me as he craned his long neck up. _

_Sharp white teeth were clenched together and he partially opened his jaws to let out a hot stream of drool, which upon landing on the ground ate it away as if it was acidic. The green taffy-like substance oozed and bubbled its way to the surface from these new openings, acting not unlike volcanic lava._

_"Turbo!" I tried to call out but my voice came out as a dry whisper. "Turbo, it's me!"_

_He blinked and the edges of his mouth turned up into a gleeful malicious grin, looking almost like a possessed Cheshire Cat. He twisted his head upside down much like a real cat would and his massive striped back legs braced themselves in the ground, his stance similar to that of a tarantula on his guard._

_"**Turb0 d03sn't liv3 h3r3 anym0r3**..."_

_The voice that came from his mouth, which never moved at all while he spoke (if it was even him speaking, I couldn't tell), was deep and warbled...it was like when an old-fashioned phonograph plays a record and it slowly stops playing it, making the music sound slower and deeper, almost unrecognizable until it last it's slowed down so much that it faintly dies._

_I saw motion near one of his legs and it made me tear my eyes away from his; I saw a tiny snail try to pass in between us but Turbo swiftly snatched him up in one of his massive claws, crushing him instantly. The deep, ominous chuckle that he gave sent chills down my spine. _

_"T-Turbs, snap out of it!" I screamed at him, though my voice still sounded like I was yelling through a pillow. _

_"He doesn't remember you."_

_I snapped my head to the left and saw Guy relaxing in a lawn chair with a pair of sunglasses and his police uniform on as if he were supposed to be tanning on a hot summer day, completely undeterred by the scene before him. Beside him was none other than Miss Priss wearing a hot pink string bikini and fanning him with a large lollipop.  
_

_"He forgot you," he continued in a monotone voice. "You're nothing to him anymore. He's quite literally lost his mind. A blank slate."_

_No...no that can't be right. I turned back in the direction of the cybrid king, still staring at me with those pure yellow eyes devoid of emotion and giving me a twisted smile. He fluttered his wings and rose up into the air, hovering over me now and slowly flying higher into the sky until he disappeared altogether.  
_

_"You...you said you wouldn't forget about me," I whispered as I felt hot tears fall from my eyes. "That day at the gym, you said you wouldn't forget."_

_I felt myself sink into the ground and I looked down at my feet; the taffy that I had been stuck in had turned a brighter shade of green now and it dawned on me that it was actually paint thinner. It was eating me alive, intent on making me melt into nothing. _

_"See ya in the Wasteland," I heard Oswald the Lucky Rabbit call to me from down below, using a cheerful tone that did not match the situation at hand as the thinner steadily crept up to my waist...then my chest...then my neck..._

_Miss Priss came beside me as my head stayed above the thinner and blew a kiss at me accompanied with a sarcastic wave of her fingers. "People like you are never remembered." She put her fingers in the shape of an L before placing it up to her forehead, giving me the "loser" sign.  
_

_She vanished from my view and Guy made his way over to me, kneeling down and petting my head like I were a puppy. I tried to jerk away from him but it was impossible to do so. "My poor little doll," he cooed at me condescendingly, his dark blue eyes peering down at me. "I told you no one else could ever love someone like you...I'm the only one who ever understood your issues. I'm the only true friend you ever had..."_

_I wanted to tell him to shut up but I wasn't even able to open my mouth anymore. Guy's smile of false sincerity was__ the last thing I saw before the thinner went over my head and-_

I jerked awake, sitting up in my bed with my eyes wide open, panting heavily. The ceiling fan was turned on and the cool air was a welcome feel to me since I had been sweating in my sleep thanks to that nightmare. My heart was still pounding and I clutched my hands against my shirt as I tried to calm myself down. I rested my head against my knees which were now brought up to my chin and sat there for a few minutes, getting my breathing back to normal.

Kitty meowed at me as she crawled towards me then leaned her head forward to sniff at my face. Satisfied that I wasn't injured or anything, she backed off and went towards the foot of the bed to nestle down again.

Just a dream...just a dream...it was just a weird combination of things that's been going on lately. And Turbo did _not _forget about me...he said he wouldn't and I believe he meant that.

I_ hope_ he meant it anyway.

* * *

_My first time writing King Turbug in a scene where he doesn't fly into the volcano beacon ^^ _

_Also this was NOT written to offend anyone who wants to see the Turbo snail movie, but I've had several people ask me to have Turbs react to it so there ya go! _


	53. The Journey Begins

_apple: lol I think they just combined air with wind, since the air benders can create wind with their abilities :) But I have heard of wind being its own element before. And yeah I watched one of the Turbo trailers on Youtube while I was writing that scene and it DOES give the whole movie away! haha_

_That Guest Person: Yeah every time I want to look up stuff for Turbo, I get nothing but the DreamWorks Turbo! *beats head on desk* I'd love to see a Turbo-themed prequel movie but I'd be scared they'd have it to where: "This is Turbo. He's a jerk. Here he is being a jerk in his game and to the twins. Insert stupid sub-plot that no one cares about or doesn't make sense when you think about the first movie. Follow him on his jerk journey to kill RoadBlasters' drivers and be maniacal."... I just don't believe he was evil throughout his entire existence because that's just ridiculous and that would make him the most boring villain ever. The guy HAD to have started out as a normal good guy (like he was programmed to be) who just let popularity get to his head and go down the dark road to keep it that way. It's like delving into his psyche when I think about this dude's thoughts and motives. Seeing him get degraded into a typical cliche one-note "evil just to be evil" villain would really irk me._

_Nicky: Wow really? LOL awesome! What a coincidence :D_

_betheleaf: haha, I'm so glad that people got the reference and thought it was funny! I almost didn't put it in there, thinking it was too dorky. And whoa, wait you can see RoadBlasters on that preview? I kinda wanna laugh because that's insane but I can't really bring myself to fully believe that that is a simple coincidence, having THAT particular game be the one that is shown :/ hmmmm..._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

It was two o'clock in the AM when I awoke to Turbo leaping on me in the bed like he was the ever playful Tigger pouncing on the poor workaholic Rabbit, jolting me awake and making my heart race for the next ten minutes even while I was out of the bed. He had been so excited the night before that he actually _slept_ in his clothes that he was going to wear for today. That is, _if_ he slept. I had gone to bed at the decent hour of eight in the PM so I was all rested up.

What was it that had him all wound up and ready to go? Why, today was the day that we were to begin our epic road trip to Daytona Beach! We had our bags already packed for a five day trip; since it's about thirteen hours to the beach from here, I planned to drive the first half (since I already know my way around here) and then let him drive the second half with the GPS that's installed in his car. Yes, we're using _his_ car since this was _his_ idea. Plus he's paying for everything with the rest of that sweepstakes money he won back in February.

Geez, that seems like it was _years_ ago rather than months.

Anyways, we had the apartment cleaned spotless so it would be refreshing to come home to, unplugged all the electronics minus the fridge and other major appliances, shut off the air conditioning (even though I knew it was going to be stuffy when we got back) and all that other stuff that one does before leaving on vacation.

Kitty wasn't coming along for this, that would've been torture for all three of us, so I had Mom come and pick her up along with her things yesterday. She kept giving Turbs these weird looks, like she was suspicious of him I suppose but I didn't bother asking. She probably thinks he's corrupting me or that we're doing things we have no business doing. Whatever, I wasn't going to let it bother me right now because..._ROAD TRIP_!

We piled up in the 'Vette, keeping the top down since it felt nice outside, and I drove us out. Turbo was yakking away about how much fun we were going to have; going to the race was only one highlight of the trip. He wanted to go to the beach since he'd never been before and he had seen some videos on YouTube where some people went jet skiing, so naturally he wanted to try it because they "were going super fast!". I've never been on a jet ski before and was a little apprehensive about that but I guess it wouldn't kill me to try it anyway.

Also, I just have to say that while riding in the 'Vette is awesome in itself, _driving_ it is another story...it's even more awesome! You can _feel_ the power this baby has just by gripping the steering wheel. This might sound corny but it made me feel invincible.

Maybe I should get one of these things...nah, I'm keeping my trusty ol' Corolla 'til it falls apart. Besides, I like _not_ having to pay a car note.

Oh sorry, I'm getting off topic, aren't I?

Seeing as how it was so early in the morning, the stars were still out and I was having to use the headlights to see. After about an hour of driving, Turbo finally stopped talking and passed out asleep in the passenger seat. I smiled from the side, knowing that it'd be best if he slept for right now. After all, this part of the trip was going to be boring anyway since we were passing by places we'd already been to. It was another hour and a half before we reached the state line, passing into Mississippi and then I headed south like the directions told me to do. We would be for the most part traversing along the lower parts of the states that we had to drive through since Daytona was rather south in its own state. Makes sense.

Turbs woke up once we got near Vicksburg, rubbing his eyes and yawning. We pulled off on an exit to go to a truck stop to fill up on a little gas, use the restroom and also grab ourselves a soda and some snack food. He got some M&Ms and I got a bag of the cheesy Doritos.

"Let me drive for a while, I'm feeling restless now," he said to me as we headed back to the car.

"I thought I was going to drive halfway and then _you_ drive?"

"But I'm _bored_," he slightly whined, getting on his tiptoes so he could stretch his back out better. "Let's just take turns every two hours or when we need to fill up the tank."

_Sigh._ Oh well, who was I to argue with the official vacation coordinator?

We got in and buckled up but before he cranked up the car, Turbo snapped his fingers and leaned over to open up the glove compartment. He pulled out a large Ziploc bag that appeared to have some index cards in it and he casually plopped it in my lap before shutting the compartment's door.

"What's this?" I inquired with a raised brow, opening the bag up to inspect the items.

"They're flash cards with NASCAR terms on them so you'll have a better understanding once we get to the race," Turbo explained to me as he pulled out towards the road. "Then you'll probably _enjoy_ it better!"

I was rather touched that he went through all the trouble to put these together for me. "Wow, thanks, that's insanely nice of you."

A pleased smile spread on his face and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Consider it your homework," he joked with me, pushing at my shoulder with his index finger.

I let out a laugh and rested my head back against the seat. "Ohhhh, okay. I see how it is. This is secret revenge for making you write essays."

"You know, you _could_ just cancel homework altogether," he suggested to me in a semi-pleading voice. When he saw the serious look I gave him, he kinda backpedaled a bit and added, "Or maybe have me do just a few more and that's it."

I chuckled at him, shaking my head at his request. "All right, fine, I'll only give you a few more assignments to do and then we'll call it quits. I think you've pretty much got the 'themes and moral lessons' stuff down."

"Glad to see you noticed. Just don't make me watch any more princess movies."

I laughed again and remarked, "Aww, now, you know you actually enjoyed them."

"Yeah, if they weren't about necrophiliac princes or peasant girls that get locked up in castles and fall for their captor."

"You're never going to quit accepting the Stockholm Syndrome theory for _Beauty and the Beast_, are you?"

"The _what_?"

"Never mind."

* * *

**Somewhere between Hattiesburg, MS and the Alabama State Line...**

"I spy something..." I tapped my chin as I inspected the scenery. "Blue."

"The sky?"

I rubbed the area between my eyes and above my nose before yawning. I was already getting sick of being in this car for so long and we hadn't even made it out of Mississippi yet. "I think I can come up with something more creative than 'the sky', Turbs."

He chuckled and replied, "I'm just messin' with ya." He took another look around and after a few minutes he declared, "Oh! That bumper sticker on that car in front of us."

I clapped my hands, even though that had been an easy one I gave him. "Bravo! Your turn!"

He took a moment to glance around us and slowly stated, "I spy something...green."

"Green, seriously?" I had to ask in a sarcastic manner, throwing my arms out towards the trees and the grass that the median was composed of. "Trees? Grass?"

"I think I can come up with something more creative than 'tree' and 'grass', blondie," he playfully mimicked my earlier statement.

"Touche," I muttered as I trained my eyes to focus on anything _else _that might be green. "The road sign up ahead?"

"Nope."

I glanced around the car for any possibilities; there were none. "You better not be cheating."

He gasped and held a hand to his heart as if I'd just shot him. "Me? Cheat? _Never."_

"Okay okay, give me a minute." I sat there for a good solid two minutes trying to decipher what he could have spied. I finally blew my breath out and shrugged my shoulders in defeat. "Just tell me, I have no clue."

Turbo gave me a sideways glance accompanied with a sly grin. "Your eyes."

Before I could make myself react in an indifferent manner, I caught myself smiling and I turned my face away towards the windshield. "I think that counts as 'cheating'," I told him slowly, absent-mindedly brushing a hand through the front part of my hair. "I can't _see_ my eyes so I can't guess them."

"You could have if you'd looked in a mirror," he pointed out, the smile evident in his voice.

The idea that he even _looked_ at my eyes was both embarrassing and pleasing at the same time. Also, I was feeling a bit awkward so I clasped my hands together softly and announced, "Okay, new game. We've been playing this one for an hour."

We had already sang the entire "Ninety Nine Bottles of Coke on the Wall" song (I know it's supposed to be "beer" but we don't drink that and Pepsi didn't transition into the song well, so we had to use Coke), performed our own karaoke and looked for car license plates that were also from other states. To be honest, I couldn't really think of anything else for us to do but I had to say _something _to get the attention off of my _green eyes_.

Suddenly, we heard what sounded like gunfire and the car angled itself into a lop-sided position, a horrible screeching noise filling the air. I smelled burnt rubber and quickly understood that the front passenger tire had blown. I gripped the door with one hand and the edge my seat with the other, completely petrified. Luckily, I was riding with an expert driver who was accustomed to driving in an accident thanks to all his years of racing (or rather his programmed memories of racing) and he got us perfectly situated of the side of the road in a parallel position before shutting the engine off.

Turbs groaned in annoyance. "That figures, I finally get a blown tire and it's while we're far from home." He turned his head and grabbed my shoulder softly. "You all right?"

I nodded, still shaken up. I've totalled a car before so any kind of car trouble, no matter how minor, always puts me on edge. "I'm fine...you know how to change tires, right?"

He smugly smiled in response. "What kind of professional would I be if I didn't know how to do _that_?"

Turbo exited the vehicle while I sat there with my eyes closed and concentrated on my breathing. Okay, everything's fine. He'll change the tire and we can get out of here. No big deal.

"Um, blondie?" I heard Turbs ask me in a worried tone that I didn't really want to hear. "We don't have a spare."

My eyes popped open and I jerked up, looking at him in disbelief. "What? What do you _mean_ we don't have a spare?!"

He looked over to the side facing the trunk and rubbed the back of his neck, kicking his foot in the dirt. "That's all I mean...we don't have one."

I grew panicked and aggravated at the same time, jerking my seatbelt off so I could sit up on my knees in the seat. "How can we not have a spare? I can't believe you didn't check that before we left!"

"I didn't know!" he insisted, throwing his arms out helplessly, and he began to rattle off sentences in order to get the blame off of him. "Maybe the car's too small to carry one. There's not even one under the car like in some models. Maybe Chevrolet thinks it hilarious that their drivers get stranded like we are now. All I know is that there _isn't_ a spare!"

I closed my eyes in an attempt to make the world disappear and I took a few deep breaths. All right, so I can't really blame him for the lack of a spare tire. If the car didn't come with one, that's hardly his fault.

And then it was as if the heavens had opened up and delivered us an angel...though he didn't look like one. A nice little tow truck happened along that was being driven by an approximately fifty-five year old man with scraggly dark brown hair (with gray mixed into it) and a beard that looked like one that a guy from _Duck Dynasty_ would wear. He had a few teeth missing, his white tee shirt wasn't very white anymore as it was very dingy and had lots of stains on it, and his jeans had holes in the knees. He gave Turbo an odd look upon seeing him but he seemed to shake it off, muttering something about how he needed to quit drinking, and offered us a lift.

The truck was nasty on the inside, typical for someone who probably _lives_ in their truck, complete with a small styrofoam cup in the cupholder in which Tow Man would use to spit his tobacco into. Ick. Turbo didn't seem to like the idea of this guy touching his precious car but it's not like we had much choice. Thankfully, it didn't take the man long to get the tire changed and he didn't even charge us that much. All in all, about 45 minutes was spent. Not too shabby.

Turbs had gone off to find a vending machine while I stayed with Tow Man, who had grabbed an old rag to wipe his fingers with. "Where you an' th' husband headed?" he asked in a thick accent that only another Southerner could possibly understand.

I felt a blush creep into my cheeks and I tried to hide a smile at his misunderstanding. "Oh no, sir, we're not married, but we're going to Florida anyhow."

He shrugged lightly as he put one of his tools away. "Well, he's sorta funny lookin' but don' let that stop nothin'," he commented, ignoring the last part of my sentence. "Long as ya love someone an' they love ya back, don' nothin' else matter."

I looked behind me to make sure Turbs was still gone before deciding to ask the man in a quiet voice, "Even if there's a chance one will die _way_ before the other ever does?"

Mental correction: Will die even though the other cannot die and has to live forever without the other with them.

Tow Man chewed on his lip in speculation for a few seconds before answering. "We'll all die one day...my Elisa, God rest 'er soul, was taken by th' cancer on our second annivers'ry...that was thirty years ago but if I could go back, I'd do it all over 'gain."

Regret at bringing up the question washed over me, since I'm not one to want to drudge up sad memories.

He looked at me with these big brown eyes that had wrinkles all around them, signifying not just his physical age but his mental one as well. "So don't be wastin' your time worryin' 'bout death since it'll happen one day anyway. That's just wastin' all th' time ya _could_ be spendin' bein' happy with th' person."

Leave it to a complete stranger to put things into perspective for ya. Even as we drove off (correction: as _I _drove off and Turbs rode shotgun), I thought about what he had said. Was I really worried about nothing? I mean, death is inevitable and it doesn't care whether we get together or not. Even if I didn't have feelings for him, the fact of the matter was that I was still going to get old and die. So maybe I should be thinking more along the lines of "Do what you can _while_ you can".

I briefly glanced over at my passenger who was currently sleeping, his head tucked down and his chest shallowly rising and falling. A little smile worked its way into existence as the sun beat down on us, going down the open highway, and I thought to myself, _I can do this. This isn't scary. _

But what if I'd been misreading all the signs? What if he just seriously only liked me as a friend and, thanks to his social awkwardness, had accidentally made me think that he liked me _more_ than a friend? What if my stupid desire to be needed and/or wanted was making me delusional? Was I heading backwards into "Guy" territory? I had been stupid then, misreading his controlling personality and mind games as "well-meaning intentions". What if I was being stupid _now?_

* * *

_These next few chapters might be a little slow at getting updated because I want to make this road trip GOOD. _


	54. The Cosplayers and Ship Talk

**This chapter was not supposed to take so long to write, sorry!**

_Guest: Wow, really? Thanks! I think the first 2 chapters, the one where Mickey first shows up, and then the first two Turbo POV chapters are my favorites so far._

_apple: I always have problems figuring men out...and they think us girls are weird! lol_

_The Guest Person: lol yeah the readers know more than "story-me" does XD It's so hard to write yourself as being clueless to things lol. And yeah, but he's still got his haters too, and those people like to lash out and say that us Turbo fans are "evil" or some crap like that, something I'll be addressing later on in this fic._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**Mobile, Alabama**

It was still morning, around nine AM, and we were only about an hour away from the Florida line, thanks to the way Alabama's southern tip is shaped. We had stopped to grab some grub at a McDonald's; yes, he actually agreed to go in and no, he did not chunk his offensive burger at the over-the-counter menu board this time. Actually, he didn't get a burger at all (it was too early for the lunch menu to be available), so we got sausage biscuits and I got a hashbrown with mine.

"Hey, don't no touching my food!" I whined at him when he took a pinch of the aforementioned hashbrown, which I turned around in its package so he couldn't get anymore. "You should have gotten your own!"

"I didn't want it until I saw _you_ eating it. And it's not like I bit into it or anything, it's still clean."

I gave him a playful smirk and that's when it happened. In through the door walked in some cosplayers. What are cosplayers you ask? Well, first off, it's short for "costume players"; they are people that dress up in full costume/make up as tv/movie/cartoon/comic characters and walk around at those convention things. A lot of them take it very seriously and spend _loads _of money making their outfits and accessories. These guys here looked _awesome_ and guess what? They were dressed like _Sugar Rush_ racers! Yep, there was a Fake Vanellope, Fake Taffyta, Fake Rancis, and a Fake Gloyd. Fake Taffyta even had a lollipop in her hand and Fake Vanellope looked like she had real licorice as her ponytail holder!

"Hey, look!" I whispered to Turbo while nodding my head towards the group. "They really did a good job on their costumes!"

He gave off the most quizzical expression. "I thought people only dressed like that for that holiday where you get free candy?"

I giggled lightly. "Halloween," I reminded him. "No, there's lots of people that dress like that and go to conventions made for all the different fandoms."

I have no idea where a convention would be at in Alabama or even Florida but I guess it's possible. Maybe they were on their way to one somewhere else and this was their trip. Anyway, Fake Gloyd happened to glance our way and he whacked Fake Rancis in the arm, who groaned out a very un-Rancis-like curse word. The pumpkin head pointed in our direction while peanut butter boy followed his finger and then before you know it all four of them were staring at us...or rather at Turbo.

I was in no mood to explain the whole Disney World thing; to be honest, these days when people ask (if they didn't know the movie that is) I just say he's either in some kinda costume or he's got a skin disorder...just don't tell him I said that.

"Just pretend you're cosplaying too," I whispered to him quickly. "If they ask your 'real' name, just say Terry Bo."

Turbs wrinkled up his nose at that. "Terry Bo? Seriously? Did you just make that up or what?"

I narrowed my eyes in offense. "I thought it up one day in case I ever decided to write a Human!AU fic about you."

The perplexed look he gave me was priceless. "A _what?"_

"Oh my ever-loving-_gosh_!" I heard Fake Taffyta squeal. I know it was her because she was the one that was practically beaming with adoration when the Wanna-Be Posse came to our table. "You look just like the one in the movie!"

Turbo flashed me a quick "Help me!" look but I shook my head briefly at him. "_Play along_," I tried to telepathically communicate to him, knowing that it wouldn't work since I wasn't exactly Sookie Stackhouse and he wasn't exactly Barry the Bellboy. Turbo gave them all a big toothy grin and a thumbs-up since that's his trademark welcome gesture...at least that's what people would _expect_ him to do upon meeting them anyway.

Fake Vanellope studied him with scrutiny, her bottom lip poked out as she stared at him. "You should've at least dyed your teeth yellow," she remarked calmly, sticking her hands insider her hoodie just like the real one does.

Turbo's jaw slightly dropped at her criticism and he appeared deflated. "What?"

"Yeah, and how come you're not wearing the racing suit!" Fake Rancis wanted to know, throwing his arms out towards you-know-who.

Turbs briefly glanced down at his baggy jeans, sneakers, and black tee shirt. "I'm in my casual wear!" he insisted, looking a bit shocked at this turn of events.

"Oh, I get it! You're supposed to be Turbo when the arcade's closed and you're kicked back at home!" Fake Gloyd excitedly commented to the others, to which they all murmured their agreement.

I hid my smile behind my hand, not wanting Turbs to see my amusement in this. If only they knew!

Fake Taffyta finally took notice of my existence. "Oh! Are you supposed to be Moppet Girl?" She cocked her head to the side. "You need glasses and a pink t-shirt but I guess you'll pass as her older version."

_WHAT?!_

"Okay guys, I think we bothered the couple enough," Fake Rancis chimed in.

Before I could even think to correct him on that, Fake Vanellope suddenly brightened up, which seemed like a weird thing for her to do because I got the feeling that this chick was normally a very serious person. "Ooooh, I just got a new idea for a new ship!"

I'm...I'm speechless. Did she just seriously say that she was going to start shipping Turbo with Moppet Girl?

Fake Rancis and Gloyd just laughed it off but Fake Taffyta seemed to like the idea too. "Oooh, and we can call it..." She paused to think. "Turppet! No no, wait...Turmop!" Her smile fell slowly and she became more confused. "Turbop?"

I was thinking more like 'Mop Time' but that sounded too much like a kitchen chore. Wait, why am I even thinking about it? Ughhhh curse my fanfiction author mind!

Anyway, the group wanted a picture with him anyway since he was the first Turbo they'd seen. They were on their way to a convention as I'd suspected but I didn't catch where. After they went off to get their food (Fake Gloyd was making jokes about eating Fake Rancis' hat), Turbo leaned forward and whispered,

"Who's Moppet Girl?"

I gave him a blank look. "You know, the chick in the movie that goes around playing the games. She's the one that was playing _Hero's Duty_ when Ralph game-jumped and she's the one that reported something being wrong with _Fix_-_It Felix, Jr.,_ which prompted Mr. Litwak to put it out of order."

You know, maybe 'Quarter Alert' would be a more appropriate and sensible ship name since she's a game player and he's a game avatar, and her sticking a quarter in would prompt an alert and...okay I need to stop.

Turbo gave me an equally blank look. "I have no idea who you're talking about," he stated simply.

I was about to ask how the heck he couldn't know who that was and then it dawned on me that during the time that Moppet Girl was on screen, he was probably busy in _Sugar Rush_ because of those two boys that were planning to play as all nine racers that day. Also, the only other time she appeared was at the end when he would've been dead so naturally he didn't see her then either.

"Maybe if you'd watch your own movie, you _would_," I replied back, finishing off the last of my biscuit and wiping my fingers off on the provided napkin.

After a few moments, I heard him say, "Never."

I raised my eyes up at him and he was giving me a rather ugly glare, as if I'd just said the most offensive thing on earth to him. It made me feel rather crappy, to be honest, and I didn't really appreciate him making me feel that way.

"What's _your_ problem?" I snipped at him, not sure what it was I'd said that would cause such a reaction in him.

"I'm not watching my movie _ever_," he insisted tensely, acting almost on edge about it. "Why? Because I don't want to be reminded that everything in it is a _lie_ and that I was simply created for 'entertainment purposes' and not to mention I don't exactly want to watch myself _die_. Or should I say 'not die' since obviously I'm _here_."

I'm glad that he was keeping his voice down or else everyone in there would've been looking at us as if we were insane. Such a stark contrast to when he first got here and was yelling everything.

"Okay, okay," I said in a purposely soothing manner, hoping he would calm down himself. "Forget I said it. You don't have to watch it if you don't want to."

He appeared to relax a bit after I told him that, so maybe we wouldn't be spending the rest of this trip with him in a bad mood. I know he's not as temperamental as he used to be but he can still throw a good old-fashioned hissy fit when he's been pushed the right way. Heck, so can _I, _so I guess I'm not one to talk.

Anyway, we went back out to the car once we were done completely and once he drove us out of the lot, he had to go and ask, "What did that costumed group mean by 'ship' earlier?"

Oh Lord have mercy, is he seriously going to make me explain that right now?

I swallowed hard and decided it'd be best not to look at him while answering. It's a bit awkward explaining fandom shenanigans to someone that is a frequent subject of them after all. "Well, it's short for 'relationship' and when you 'ship' someone with someone else, that means that you think those two people would be good together in a relationship or you just think it'd be cute for them to be."

He didn't say anything immediately so I figured he was trying to either decipher what I'd said or perhaps he thought the idea of 'shipping' was so bizarre, that he honestly couldn't think of anything to add right away.

"So," he drew out slowly. "Who do you 'ship' _me_ with?"

_Myself_, was the immediate answer that came to my head but like I was going to say _that_ out loud.

I shifted my gaze over to Turbs and he had this sneaky little smile on his face like he knew that his question was going to make me uncomfortable. He probably was expecting me to say my mental answer out loud but I was _not_ about to embarrass myself.

"With _nobody_," I answered surely, turning my head away again so he couldn't see me blush; it's the honest truth if we're going by strictly canon characters.

I heard a chuckle from you-know-who. "You sure about that?"

I turned around to glare at him and sarcastically snapped, "Yeah, I ship you and King Candy, happy?", before crossing my arms and slouching in the seat.

I expected him to be grossed out but instead he started laughing _hard_. "What? How the heck does _that_ work? We're the same person!"

"Not according to some people's theories," I muttered under my breath. "They think you possessed him or something like that."

Turbo was literally cracking up in the driver's seat. The car rolled off the road and came to a stop at the side so we'd be out of traffic. I twisted my head towards my amused driver and he had his head thrown back laughing quite heartily and wiping tears from his face. I must say, I hadn't expected him to be so tickled about it.

"I...thought you didn't like people assuming that...you..." I tried to figure out a nice way to say it. "You know, are into _guys_."

"I don't but, haha, that's not why I'm laughing! They think I _possessed _him?" he managed to spit out between laughs. "What am I, some kind of ghost? Hahaha, oh, that's rich! Thanks for the laugh!"

The fact that he seemed to enjoy the absurdity made me loosen up and let out a little laugh myself. I'd expected him to blow his top but apparently I was wrong. Huh. Maybe he wouldn't freak out about something else I wanted to tell him...if I ever got brave enough to say it anyway.

* * *

**Text Conversation with Bestie at Florida Gas Station**

Me:_ I need help._

Bestie: _w/ what?_

Me: _me n turbs r in florida 4 a few days and...i kinda wanna tell him..._

Bestie: _...tell him what?_

Me:_ u know..._

Bestie: _oh! :D haha its about time! well just tell him then_

Me:_ what if he doesnt like me back the same way tho?_

Bestie: _pffft gurl plz he does. ur just makin up an excuse b/c u think itll b like it was w/ guy_

Me: _he's not like guy or anything, im...i dunno, im just scared is all..._

Bestie: _itll be fine, heck maybe he'll say it first. who knows? just take a chill pill and dont force it_

Me: _im not gonna throw myself at him if thats what u mean_

Bestie:_ oh i know u wont, i meant like...i dunno like wait til ur both alone somewhere and arent goofin around or whatever it is u 2 do_

Bestie: _u know, wait 4 a quiet moment_

Me: _*sighs* im still scared_

Bestie: _ ull b ok :) dont think 2 much about it or itll drive u nuts. ur on vacation u know so have fun n relax!_

Me:_ i hate the beach..._

Bestie:_ i know :P but RELAX! n dont get eaten by sharks_

Me:_ ha ha_

Bestie: _:P lol tell me how it goes if you decide 2 tell him _

Me: _ k thanx_

* * *

**Approximately Eight Hours of Road Trip Games, Singing to the Radio, Napping and Maybe Getting Lost a Few Times Later**

Hallejulah, we finally made it Daytona Beach! I never thought I'd be so happy to see a beach in my life but here we are! The sun's beating down on us, there's palm trees all over the place, and the Wyndham Ocean Walk Resort was ready and waiting for us. The lobby had this wavy blue/white design on the floor and there were huge yellow-green columns in the middle surrounded by blue circular couches. All the walls were mostly glass so there was a ton of natural light. Our room was way on up on the twentieth floor plus it was an oceanfront room so we could look out the window and see the ocean as opposed to the street.

We had a little kitchen that had white cabinets/appliances that had a small circular breakfast bar area at the end of the counter. The wallpaper was this rich golden yellow color with some kind of pattern on it that I didn't know the name of. The floor was a very pale, light colored wood floor that stretched on forward into the living area which consisted of brown leather sofa, a small grayish coffee table on top of a seashell decored rug, a small blue and yellow chair that were on opposite sides, a tv center, and if you kept going forward there was the big glass doors that led to the balcony so you could see the ocean.

The walls in all the rooms (except the kitchen) were a light creamy yellow and all the overall color scheme was your typical yellow/blue/cream/tan beach type palette. The bathroom was nothing to brag about, it was just your typical bathroom with the usual necessities and it was only slightly bigger than my own bathroom back home. The bedroom sadly had a dinky little window in it instead of a balcony extension so that was disappointing. Oh, and let's not forget that-

"There's only _one_ bed?" I immediately pointed out once I threw my bags down on the floor. "You got us a room with _one_ bed?"

"There weren't any available with two," I heard him comment from the living room.

I rubbed my face, too tired to argue now that we were here. Well, it's not the worst thing in the world to happen; it's not like we've never shared a bed before and this one is king-sized so maybe he won't roll over on me...whether by accident or on purpose. Not that I have a problem with this or anything, even though I _should_, but...

"You try any funny business, you're back on the couch," I remarked back as I stepped in the bathroom. Being on the road for thirteen-fourteen hours made me feel all dirty and gross so I felt I needed a hot shower. Crazy to think it was only half-past four in the afternoon, but that's because we've been up since two this morning. Ugh. I guess afterwards, if either of us aren't too tired, we could walk around the place and see what was nearby.


	55. Sunrise, Sunset

**I rewrote this thing like 4 times, ughhhhh.**

Ellie:_ haha yeah I can come up with some pretty crazy stuff to say sometimes! Glad you like it so far! _

_That Guest Person:__ The only one I can say that I truly hate with a burning passion is when he's paired with Vanellope. I don't even like them being friends to be honest, because I just don't think it would ever happen in a million years._ _I CAN see him being buddies with Felix should he ever get reformed, but I don't see it going farther than that. _

_apple: lol well he never shared a scene with her so he never met her. And I doubt that in-universe people call her "moppet girl", she probably has a real name somewhere :P I like to think it's Stefanie, since that's her voice actor's name. Ha, I've only been to the beach once and it wasn't really that fun to me. I stayed on the sand and the only time I got wet was when the tide would come in for a few seconds lol. I was scared of jellyfish! XD Aaaand I MIGHT have him read some of my fanfics, we'll see. Right now he's forbidden...and he's still traumatized over the few that he HAS read before lol._

_TurboLover: Trust me, I'm wary of self-inserts also, but I'm glad you decided to check this one out! As far as avoiding Mary Sue-ness, me personally I try to incorporate alot of my own personal life into mine to give a "real-ness" factor to it. I feel like an open book while writing this thing. Don't do the "overly-perfect" thing, or have your character be friends with EVERYONE, at least not immediately I guess (or maybe not everyone at all, let's face it, you're not going to get along with everyone). Take some note of relationships/friendships/enemy stuff that either you are in personally or that you've noticed around school/public/wherever. Be a people-watcher, basically, it helps to kinda be a little spy lol. And haha, no I don't ship Turbo with anyone :) I was just saying that because he made me mad and I felt like being sarcastic :P Sweet Ride's the only one that doesn't bother me that much though, as far as Turbo-based ships are concerned. And the Turbs says "hi" back! You can just call me Dixie ;) And nice to meet you! :)_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

After I got myself freshened up, we hit the streets in search of something to eat. The scenery wasn't anything I was used to seeing so I thought it was really nice and relaxing, yet at the same time I could still feel a rush of excitement at being somewhere new. The condo had their own mini shopping village next door called Ocean Walk Shoppes so we figured that would be as good as place as any to go to. The color scheme was wild and crazy, using lots of red, blue, and a splash of lime green. We decided to hit up the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant. If you've ever seen _Forrest Gump_, then you'll know where the name came from. The menu was so cute, it had little references to the movie and everything!

Get this, they even had a bench outside the restaurant with a little suitcase and a box of chocolates sitting on it just like Forrest does in the movie! You could take your picture by it. Turbs had never seen the film (that's my fault, shame on me) so he didn't understand why I was getting such a kick out of this place.

"_Please_ go sit down and let me take your picture!" I was practically begging him, my camera all ready to shoot.

I think he was feeling a mixture of annoyance plus some slight amusement at my giddiness. "Unless there's real chocolate in that box, forget it."

"Just do it," I started whining. "It'll fit in with the photo album."

Yeah, we _do_ have a little photo album that I've started trying to put together. There's not any pictures from Turbo's first few months of living with me since he was absolutely against the idea of having his picture taken for some reason unless it was by some random fan on the street wanting a photo op. Here lately, he's been more cooperative as far as the picture taking thing goes so I've been trying to milk it for all it's worth.

He gave me this flat look that said "don't push it" but I responded with the puppy-dog pout (hey, it works for Kim Possible). He rolled his eyes back and groaned about it but I caught the hint of a smile while he did it, so I knew he was just messing with me. Haha, score one for me.

Anyway, I'm allergic to shrimp, so I settled for a Texas Cajun Chicken Sandwich. Turbs got what was called the Shrimp Stack Pasta, which _looked _good but alas I couldn't even have a little taste sample.

And Lord help me, I'm definitely in a vacation mood because I _had_ to have a t-shirt. There's something about being on vacation and _having_ to buy things and then later on when you get home you wonder why you bought them to begin with.

Need I say this place is more awesome than I thought it'd be? There's a_ Ferris wheel_ here! Yeah, the Daytona Beach Boardwalk has the fun center and it has a _Ferris wheel_. I _love_ Ferris wheels! Plus, they have go-karts, an arcade and a rollercoaster!

"We're going _here_," I insisted, pointing at the brochure with an authoritative finger.

Turbo tried to hold back a yawn before glancing at it. "Right now?"

I rolled my eyes as I folded the brochure back up to stick in my purse. "Don't be silly, we can do that tomorrow. I think we're both too wiped out to enjoy anything tonight."

It was Thursday afternoon right now and the race wasn't until Saturday evening so we had all day tomorrow to do other vacation-y things. I knew Turbs wanted to check out the beach, even though I certainly did _not_, but I figured since he was paying for this little trip that he should be able to do what he wants. I ran back to our suite (okay that's a lie, I didn't literally run) while Turbo stayed down in the lobby to rest a spell. I left my purse in the bedroom since I wasn't about to take it to the beach with us and changed into a pair of capris and flip flops. I had worn sneakers and lounge pants on the drive over here for comfort reasons but I didn't want to get sand and saltwater on those.

We walked down there and I gotta say, even though I prefer the mountains over the beach, I cannot deny the calming, simple beauty of a clear, blue ocean. The water was so clean that you could see really far down into it. I've only ever been to Orange Beach in Alabama and I wasn't really that impressed with it; no offense to people that live there, but it smelled like dead fish and the water kinda grossed me out. _This_ place though was rather breathtaking. I was in shock to be honest.

Also, I had no idea you could _drive_ on the beach...there's actually cars parked out here! And bicycles! Ha, so crazy.

Seeing how late in the afternoon it was, there wasn't _that_ many people out here which was fine with me. I could hear some music playing from somewhere close by, it sounded like Loverboy's "_Working for the Weekend_"...ha, well I know _two _people that aren't working this weekend!

Turbo, having never seen a beach before, looked like a kid that just walked into a candy store for the first time. "This place is turbo-tastic! It looks even better in person than it does in pictures!"

I chuckled lightly and folded my arms across my chest in a relaxed manner. "_Everything_ looks better in person."

A few seagulls flew overhead and landed a few yards to the left of us, taking a look around in the sand for a few minutes before flying off again. A few sandpipers were darting away from the incoming tide, skittering around on their skinny stick legs, only to go back to searching for food once the tide went back down. I noticed a few people give us funny looks, which I had expected, but no one came up to bother us so I didn't worry about it too much. Turbo went down where the sand was wet from the tide and I followed him down there. It's easier to walk on the wet sand than on the dry anyway.

"Maybe we'll find a bunch of seashells and sand dollars," I said out loud as I kept my eyes on the ground so I wouldn't step on something...like a dead jellyfish...ugh.

"Or maybe we'll find some gold coins and oysters with pearls in them!" Turbs added excitedly, getting a small laugh out of me.

"Turbs, I doubt we'll be finding anything valuable on this beach, especially since there's hundreds, if not thousands, of people out here per day."

I don't think he heard me because he started saying, while rubbing his chin, "Or maybe we'll find a message in a bottle from some other country...or a dead whale! Or a beached mermaid!"

I laughed some more, knowing that he was just fooling around now, and shoved him lightly to the side. "Oh hush, you're being silly now."

"Aww, now you got my feet all wet," he playfully whined, since I had unintentionally shoved him into where the tide had partially come in.

"Cry me a river, why don't ya?" I smirked at him. The ocean breeze started whipping my hair about and I had no choice but to hold it back with a hand. _Sigh_. Guess I'm going to have to break out the ponytail holders while I'm here, even though I _hate_ wearing my hair up.

You know, being out here in the open next to the Atlantic Ocean makes things not seem so scary. Like, being near it makes any kind of issues you were having seem miniscule. It's like the tide washes your problems away and drowns them. I swallowed hard and thought about my little text conversation with Bestie...'quiet moment' she said; well we're having one now and it seems good a time as any to tell him that-

A volleyball hit my leg and scared the living crap outta me. I performed an embarrassing girly "scream and jump" maneuver when I felt it hit my leg because I honestly hadn't seen it coming or even heard the volleyball players yell a warning. When I realized that it was only a stupid ball, which was when Turbo had snatched it up off the ground, I felt like the biggest doofus. All traces of potential bravery disappeared in an instant and I wiped my face in humiliation.

"You scream like a girl," Turbs kidded with me, jokingly making the ball touch my arm as if it were going to make me yell again.

I felt my face get hot and I replied, "I _am_ a girl."

He rolled his eyes coupled with a lop-sided grin. "No, really? I didn't notice."

Some muscular guy with bleached white hair came jogging up to us with his hands out as if ready to catch the ball. "Hey, man, you mind chunkin' that back over here?"

Turbs obliged them and strangely enough he didn't receive any weird looks from the guy or get bombarded with questions on his appearance. Maybe Beach Boy had seen stranger looking people, who knows?

"Hey, you gotta strong arm, dude!" he complimented him instead. He jutted a thumb out behind him towards his buddies. "Wanna join? Could always use some help."

Why is it that no one ever speaks to _me_ when we're out in public? Sometimes I wonder if I'm literally invisible. Turbo at least acknowledged my existence and asked me quietly, "You want to watch? I know you're not into doing sports."

I felt disappointment ride into me; I'd really just wanted us to walk around and do something relaxing like look for seashells until either we got too exhausted to do anything else or when the beach closed for the night. Not to mention, I had kinda wanted to tell him _something important_...but then again, who am I to keep him from having a little guy-time fun? For all I know, he had pent-up energy from being in the car all day and he needed to get it out of his system.

I smiled faintly at him, trying to act normal. "Sure, why not?"

Long story short, I know nothing about volleyball so I can't fully describe anything that was actually going on. The guy that Turbs took the place off had hurt his wrist on his last serve so that was why they had needed another player. He sat out on some beach chairs that were sitting out alongside me to watch, not really paying me any attention. He was too busy shouting out random words of encouragement to his buddies or getting overly excited about every little thing that happened. I felt like shoving a sock in his mouth but I didn't have one available, and even if I did have one I wouldn't be brave enough to do it anyhow.

I'm not one to cheer out loud; in case anyone hasn't figured it out yet, I tend to keep my mouth shut in public. That didn't mean I didn't do a few clapping sessions. I would've whistled but I can't whistle so that was out of the question. But yeah, watching my boyfr-

Ahem, watching my _houseguest_ who happens to be a friend who happens to be a guy playing a physical sport like this wasn't exactly the worst way to spend my afternoon.

Shut up.

I've been up since two o'clock this morning, I'm delirious, okay?

Okay maybe not delirious, but still I'm not exactly thinking clearly and...you know what, never mind.

* * *

**Later That Night...**

I woke up after a few hours of sleep and..._why is it cold in here_? Holy mack, seriously, I do not remember it being this cold when I got under these blankets! It's easier to regulate hot/cold air in a condo because they have normal wall thermostats and I know that I for sure did not mess with it. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to pull some blanket against me to snuggle with but that wasn't helping my situation. I never thought I'd be freezing in friggin' _Florida_.

I had no idea what time it was (it was pitch black in the room) but my body definitely needed more rest regardless. I was tempted to get up to brave the chilly air and fix the thermostat back to a more humane setting but I was too tired to even think about getting up. A sigh of annoyance escaped my lips and I turned my head to glance behind me, just barely able to see the lump that would've been Turbo. I patted a hand out and felt his back, meaning he was obviously facing away from me and on his side. Huh, no sneak cuddle session? Geez, this is the second time he's passed up the chance to do so since we came back from Texas a while back. What gives?

I mean, not that I'm complaining or anything...ah, who am I kidding, how dare he! I'm over here freezing to death and he's probably all warm and snug over there!

As carefully as possible, I shifted myself backwards without jostling the mattress too much; after what felt like an eternity, my back finally hit his warm one and I felt instantly better. I sighed a bit, relaxing myself, even though my front half was still cold and that was honestly the half I was more concerned about warming up.

This is so not even funny. At all.

I cautiously flipped myself over so I'd be facing his back and...geez, what is it about guys and being so warm? It's like that Y chromosome of theirs contains an internal oven that radiates heat all the time. He smells really good too...not that I went out of my way to take notice of this fact or anything. I curled my arms up against my chest so they'd be sandwiched between me and him, sighing a little as I started warming up. I _might _have snuggled closer but there's no witnesses to attest to that so I can't be proven guilty.

_Sigh_.

I'll tell him tomorrow...if I wait much longer, I might bust from keeping it all in.

* * *

So anyway, we ended up sleeping in 'til about ten that morning; we were exhausted, so that's no surprise. Driving for approximately fourteen hours and then hanging around with the volleyball boys really tired us out. Today, Turbo was bound and determined to take me...wait for it...jet skiing. I have never been on one, never had a desire to be on one, and am certainly not looking forward to it. Turbs thought it was going to be like a race car on the water but I wasn't completely convinced.

And did you know you had to have a _license_ to drive those things? Yeah, good thing I looked into that before we ever came over here or we wouldn't be able to do it. Lucky me, Turbs was able to get one by passing an online course. Who knew? Plus, he watched enough how-to videos to get the gist of how to actually drive one so naturally he thought it would be a piece of a cake.

"Just get on already," he was telling me from his position on the jet ski, which was mostly red and white (of course!). "Surely bungee jumping is scarier than _this_."

Okay, he got me there. Falling hundreds of feet to your impending death is much scarier than possibly falling off of a jet ski and either drowning or getting run over by _another _jet ski.

And no, he couldn't get me into a swimsuit for the life of him. He even threw in the old, "But you have nothing to be ashamed about!" line at me. Not that I didn't think he was being genuine when he sad it, but I still wasn't going to wear one even if the entire beach was populated with swimsuit wearers. I had on a pink tank and some shorts that were made of that windbreaker material. That's as close to a swimsuit as I'm getting. And yes I lathered up the sunscreen, I was _not_ leaving here with a nasty sunburn.

"You sure you can drive one of these?" I asked him in a worried tone from my safe position on the dock. "Reading the instructions is different than actually getting on one."

"Yes, I'm sure," he assured me for the hundredth time, sounding almost exasperated with me. "Hurry up, we're paying by the hour here."

He patted on the seat behind him to get the point across. Ugh, guess I can't really stall anymore. I finally went down the little ladder provided on the dock's side and I had to grab Turbs' shoulders to keep my balance while climbing aboard, sitting down directly behind him. And I forgot to mention, these life jackets are so _uncomfortable_. Can't they design some that aren't a pain to wear? And they're making it harder for me to hang on to Mr. Speed Demon here. No way was I flying off this thing, so he better not mind the death grip I'm going to have on him.

You know, the water is a lot warmer than I thought it would be. I always thought it'd be cold for some reason.

"Ready?" he asked her and I looked over his shoulder to see him twisting the key and pushing the little "ON" button that was on the left handlebar. The engine roared to life and I further anchored myself to his back, squeezing my thigh muscles against the sides of the jet ski.

"Like I have a choice," I muttered sarcastically, and all of a sudden we jerked forward and began moving at what I would consider a high speed.

The wind and mist from the ocean was breezing by me; it was almost like we were racing only this was a solo drive and we can't go out too far in the ocean or we have to cough up some extra money. Everytime we hit a wave, we'd go flying in the air for a few seconds which was making me tense up even tighter. Turbo, naturally, thought it was the biggest thrill ever so he laughed everytime.

He turned us around in a half circle so we wouldn't drive off too far and I allowed myself to glance around the ocean. It stretched on forever it seemed even though I knew that Europe and Africa lay at the other end of it. Sometimes you think the world is small and yet you come out _here_ and realize how big it is.

"Look, blondie, dolphins!" I suddenly heard Turbo shout at me and I peered out in the distance, squinting my eyes a bit. Sure enough, there were three dolphins leaping out of the water and diving back down. A smile crept on my face seeing them. I'd never seen dolphins before, not even at a zoo or aquarium. I'd always wanted to grab onto one and swim with it like on that old show _Flipper_. I guess coming out here wasn't so horrible.

Anyway, we did this for about an hour and I didn't ever fall off and we didn't topple over so I considered this a major success. Turbo had to put the jet ski in reverse to get it parallel parked back beside the dock where it originated from. We then headed back towards the rest of civilization and hiked towards the condo, which took us a while. This place is so much different than the city back home and it's really refreshing I must say. I wouldn't mind traveling the world to be honest, but I could never do it by myself. I suppose Turbs wouldn't mind, seeing as how he's seen even less of the world than I have.

We made it back and got cleaned up so we could go to that Boardwalk place, which is where _I_ wanted to go. I had this long breezy summer dress that was sea foam green on and I had my heart-shaped necklace on that I like to wear. Turbs, not one to dress up, just had a khaki cargo shorts on with a dark blue tee shirt on. Not that this place was anything to dress up for but it felt nice having a cool breeze blow through the skirt portion of my dress.

Anyway, we were starving for lunch so we dropped into this Pizza King place which didn't look like much based on its appearance but it was actually pretty good. Oh and Turbo wanted to play in the arcade they had here, saying that he'd never played in one before...that sounds really weird coming from an arcade game character, doesn't it? To make it better, they had a NASCAR game for him to play...go figure! The seat you had to sit in to play had the number 82 on it but I don't know who drives that one. I bet NASCAR Dude would know, he seemed rather knowledgeable about that kinda thing.

Surprising the both of us, his cell phone rang from his shorts pocket and he dug it out and gave the screen a quizzical look. "Huh, it says 'private caller'. What's that mean?"

"That means whoever's calling you has their number blocked so you can't see who it is on the caller ID," I informed him, a little curious as to who all even knew his number. He doesn't give it out to anyone after all. "It's probably a wrong number anyway, just ignore it."

He pushed the "ignore" button and stuck it back in his pocket, the strange call soon forgotten, while I took a look around the arcade room. "Ooh, let's play that one!" I suggested excitedly, tugging at his arm and pointing at a game display that said "Shootout Saloon" over the top of it.

It was one of those shooting games where there's a row of fake guns that you had insert quarters into to make work and there were these things in front of you on display that had little red-and-white targets on them. This particular one was in the style of what appeared to be a Texas bar, which I thought was kind of unusual given that we're in Florida. Turbo had never seen one of these games apparently and he had this confused look on his face.

"The heck is it?"

I stuck some quarters in and grabbed up the fake rifle...shotgun...rifle...I could never tell the difference but I do know the difference in the bullet types. I guess this would be a rifle...I don't know. "You just aim and shoot at the targets," I explained as I lifted the gun up to brace against my shoulder and squinted an eye so I could line up the sights. "Betcha I get at least half of them."

He rolled his eyes in a non-condescending way. "Betcha you miss them all."

I gave him a smirk from the side and...totally showed him up. Never argue with me if I have a gun in my hand and you're at close range, I will blast you to kingdom come. No kidding. I surprisingly got every single one of those targets if you can believe that.

"You were saying?" I asked haughtily while putting the fake gun back in its default position.

He held his hands up in mock defense. "I'm not sure if I should feel threatened or if I should feel SAFER."

I knew he was kidding and softly laughed at him. "Don't worry, I wouldn't shoot you. Not unless you went stir crazy and tried to kill me."

"If I ever go crazy and try to do that, I'd _want_ you to shoot me." He paused as if to think and he looked down at the floor to scuff his shoe against it, adding, "Good thing you weren't armed when you first came to Disney World then. Though I wouldn't have blamed you for it if you had."

I hated remembering that day, him trying to strangle me and all. That seems like such a long time ago, but when I happen to think about it, I can still feel his hands around my throat and see him screaming in my face about what a horrible person I was. I know he apologized and I believe him, but it still hurts when I dwell on it. Apparently, he thinks the same way because now _he_ looks sad. I gave him a faint smile and gave him a sideways hug.

"Well, that was a long time ago, so don't worry about it," I told the _both_ of us, trying to clear the air. "Come on, let's see what else there is to do around here."

We hung around the arcade for a little while before going back outside. Some steel drum players were positioned on a platform area, performing for tips. I always thought those sounded really cool. They had go-karts here too that Turbo was dying to get on but I didn't think that'd be a good idea since we'd recently ate. I'd hate to puke everywhere while being on the track because I knew for sure that _he_ would go fast. But I did say that we could do it before we left so long as we did the Ferris wheel too. They also had a _huge_ souvenir shop but I figured I'd wait until the last day to bother with that.

* * *

**TURBO'S**** POV**

Don't tell Blondie, but I had cranked the AC up last night on purpose. Hehe.

We ended up spending a couple hours over at the Boardwalk and we chilled out under a shaded table area. It was thankfully not _too _hot out here but we still grabbed some ice cream anyway. Blondie already finished hers and she's off somewhere trying to find a ladies' room so I'm sitting here alone for right now.

I heard my phone ring, and I knew it wasn't anyone I knew because it was using the default "ring ring" sound, but I took it out and looked at the screen anyway. My brow furrowed when I saw "Private Caller" again...same person from earlier? Okay, I don't like getting messed with and this jerk is messing with the wrong guy.

"Who the frig is this and how did you get my number?" I grouchily answered it, hoping maybe that would be enough to have them hang up and go away.

_"Are you alone right now?"_

This really creepy voice wormed its way into my ear; it sounded like they were using a voice modifier like in those spy movies. I sat up in my chair and surveyed the area, seeing if there was anyone within sight that could actually see me. Nobody stood out as suspicious, but usually _those_ are the ones you have to look out for. Trust me, I know.

"Who is this?" I demanded to know, trying to keep my voice low. I hunched over the table to keep from making people stare at me. "Is this Mickey? If it is, this isn't funny."

_"Such a temper. Of course, that's to be expected from a murderous hothead like yourself."_

I clenched my other fist, my stomach getting knotted up. Whoever this was, they definitely knew me...but who could it be? I suspected someone from Disney World, or heck let's be more specific, my movie-verse. But who knows, maybe I have enemies that I'm unaware of.

"I'm hanging up now."

The voice quickly replied,_ "Would be a shame if something happened to your girlfriend."_

A sickening wave of terror rode into me, a cold sweat starting to form. I sat there, slouched in a frozen position and couldn't even speak for a few seconds because my mouth went dry. I tried to compute what to say. It actually angered me that whoever this jerk is would target Blondie just to get to me. I forced my eyes shut, my teeth gritted together. Perhaps if they could be convinced that I didn't have any feelings for her, they'd drop it and leave her out of this. I'd never forgive myself if she got hurt because someone didn't care for me.

"She's not my girlfriend," I replied bluntly. It WAS the truth, after all.

_"Oh really? Is that so? I have trouble believing that."_

The snide tone really set me off. "Look, PAL, she's not my girlfriend," I growled into the mouthpiece. "She's NOTHING to me, you hear that? The only reason I'm with her is because of a stupid contract. She's nothing but a convenient tool for me to mooch off of while I'm here and THAT'S ALL." My stomach twisted up hearing myself say that; ironic in that when I first came to this world, that would've been the truth. "Take that and do what you will with it. NOW I'm hanging up."

I jammed the "end call" button and roughly shoved the phone back in my pocket, running my hand down my face in an attempt to calm down. If someone's after me, at least now hopefully Blondie will be fine. I really hated saying all that, I felt really crappy. Speaking of her, she should've been back already.

As soon as I thought that, I suddenly had this dreadful feeling I was being watched. A chill went through me and I slowly turned my head to look behind me, praying that she wouldn't be there.

My prayer went unanswered.

She was staring right at me, the most heartbroken look on her face, her whole body tensed up like a rabbit ready to run. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she'd heard what I'd said, and naturally she was going to assume that I meant it. I was rendered incapable of speech as I locked eyes with her, my mind going blank.

"Blondie, I...I didn't..."

Soon as I started speaking, her face crumpled more and she started crying. I was completely horrified and rather ashamed of myself that I'd managed to upset her this much; there's no telling what was all running through her head, what with her and her self-esteem issues. I'm sure I made it even worse now. Before I had a chance to say anything else, she turned herself back in the opposite direction, bolting off through the crowd of people and disappearing from my sight.

What have I DONE?


	56. Broken

**_Holy glob, I was assaulted by loving reviews! 2 pages worth even! That's the most I've ever gotten EVER! (blows kisses to everyone) Also, sorry for murdering anyone's feels...Anyway, this chapter I've had in my head since this story first started. The flashback is pretty much word-for-word a true story also (unfortunately). Hopefully y'all enjoy!_**

_absolutebanana: (evil laugh) No! I won't go back! :P_

_Ellie: lol don't look for one everyday! It's very rare that I update once a day, what with work and such._

_dalek: You are forgiven :P thanks for all the lovely reviews!_

_TurboLover: I try to respond to most reviews if I can think of something to say back ;) I'm an Amazon/eBay junkie, there's nothing there :( I did find some t-shirts and a bracelet though on redbubble and etsy :) _

_Race-It Roxie: cool username! And he wasn't saying it to be mean, it made sense to him in his own little mind :P_

_betheleaf: He/she is getting on EVERYONE'S nerves...which is the point :P_

_Guest 1: Yeah, everywhere that we went to so far on vacation is a real place, so those games in the arcade are real. And we'll have to see who the mystery jerk is later on ;) (evil laugh)_

_OriginalPrincess: lol he DID hug me in my sleep when we were in Texas ;) sneaky Turbs. _

_apple: Aww don't cry (hands you a tissue) it'll be okay ;)_

_jabootsy25: hello again! I actually wondered about you the other day lol. And nooooo, a wedding ring is the WORST way to apologize, that makes the girl think she made him feel obligated to propose and no one wants that lol._

_Guest 2: I've already picked the movies that he's going to review next so it'll have to be a surprise :P_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

_**May 2006 (Flashback)**_

_"What do you think you're doing?!"_

_Guy's authoritative voice filled the formerly silent room, scaring me out of the task I had been undertaking. I had been so shocked and what I had found I hadn't even heard him come in. Now, he stood at the door frame of his bedroom, towering over me while I sat on the carpet with the incriminating letters in my hands. He had never yelled at me before and I instantly felt fear sweep into me, not used to this behavior from him. Sure he would be a little firm sometimes but that was only because he loved me; I did things wrong every now and then and he always corrected me, telling me the right way to do it. I'm only twenty after all, and he says that I'm too young to know how to do very much on my own yet. _

_The fear subsided after I remembered the hand-written letters that were still in my hands and I grew quickly irritated as well. Yelling at me after finding THIS? Who does he think he is?_

_"What the flying frick are THESE?!" I hollered at him bitterly, throwing the pile of perfumed-scented notes at his feet, shaking with anger and hurting from the betrayal. I scrambled to get to my feet, keeping a foot's distance between us._

_Guy kept his dark blue eyes glued to mine in a fixed glare; normally I felt relaxed when I looked into them but now it was like peering into a stormy gale. He slowly kneeled down and picked up the letters one by one, arranging them into a pile. He straightened up, tapping the ends in his palm to even them out and he placed them on top of his dresser._

_"You're snooping in my things?" he asked me in a cold voice I had never heard from him._

_I jerked at the accusation. "I was trying to find a blanket because I was cold but instead I find love letters from some chick in NEVADA!" I felt so hurt saying it out loud, as if it made it more real than it already was. "How long have you been talking to her!"_

_"We're just friends," he stated firmly, avoiding my gaze and doing this nervous gesture he has of picking his feet up one at a time and softly putting them back on the ground._

_"Friends that spray PERFUME on their letters?" I shrieked at him, my throat getting tight. "What am I, stupid? You expect me to believe that?"_

_He looked at me then and he stepped forward, shoving a finger close to my face. "You shouldn't be SNOOPING through my stuff!"_

_Getting yelled at directly only made me more upset and my fight-or-flight response kicked in. Nine times out of ten, I fly. This was one of those times. I high-tailed it to the bathroom, which was connected directly to the bedroom and slammed the door, sitting on the rug beside the bathtub and curled up in a ball to cry. I was too emotional to even think of anything else, all I could imagine was him and Madame Nevada doing things that he was only supposed to be doing with ME._

_After a few minutes passed, I wasn't sure how long, I realized that Guy hadn't bothered to come in and that also I hadn't heard anything in a while outside the room. I wiped my eyes with my arm, reaching around to the toilet paper dispenser to grab a few sheets and blow my nose. Still crying softly, I got up and cracked the door open to peek outside into the bedroom._

_"Guy?"_

_I didn't receive an answer. Thinking he was elsewhere in the house, I timidly stepped out and cautiously made my way to the kitchen. He wasn't there either; he wasn't in the house at all. Confused, I looked out the large picture window he had in his dining room, which was still in the process of being redone (paint cans, sawhorses, and other random tools were laying around) and saw that his car was gone._

_He...he left me here. I was literally stranded here. He didn't have a landline phone, my cell phone was in my purse which was IN HIS CAR because he had picked me up from the dorm and brought me here, and there were no neighbors out here where he lived. I was trapped here and no way to leave._

_I ran him off...I made him leave me because I broke a rule and went through his stuff. I shouldn't have been poking around in his stuff. I should've just ignored it and kept on looking for a blanket like I had intended to do in the first place. How will he ever trust me again? What if he doesn't want to talk to me anymore? He's the only guy that's ever given me any attention, how can I be so stupid and pull something like this?_

_By the time he came home, it had been about thirty minutes. I was sitting on the couch with my legs curled up under my chin, awaiting his return. I was glad to hear he came back but at the same time I felt a sense of shame. I didn't want to get yelled at anymore, even though I probably deserved it. _

_He came in the house and threw his keys on the small table beside the couch, wordlessly passing me by and going in the back. I heard the water pipes make their creaky noises (this was an old house) and knew he was taking a shower. Great, so now I have to sit here in misery and wait for him to get done. He took about twenty minutes, which in my opinion is too long for a guy to be in the shower, and he FINALLY made his way back to the living room. I tilted my head down to the floor when he stopped in front of me, not wanting to look at him directly. _

_"Are you ready to discuss this like an adult?" _

_I nodded, feeling nauseated at having to have a chat like this. Guy's pretty strong, he's got lots of muscles from being a policeman, so he can pick me up easily. He scooped me up to where he was cradling me, holding me to his chest while he turned himself around so that he could sit on the couch with me in his lap. He petted my hair like he always does when we're like this and I kept my head down. _

_"I'm sorry," I muttered under my breath._

_"It's okay," he said warmly, still running his hand over my head. "I can't get too mad at you. You haven't been out in the world very long so you don't know how to react to things maturely."_

_I AM kind of a baby sometimes...maybe that's why he thought he needed another girlfriend..._

_As if he read my mind, he said, "I'm not dating that woman by the way. I met her on an online dating site one year and she continues to send me these affectionate letters without my consent. I've asked her to leave me alone but she still persists." He started massaging the back of my neck with one hand. "You're really lucky to have a guy like me that's patient. Any other guy would have already left you because you're so paranoid."_

_I AM lucky. No other guy ever even paid attention to me before. I shouldn't be automatically assuming the worst about everything. That's how couples break up. I don't know what I'd do if he ever left me; I'd be completely alone then._

_"But why did you keep them then?" I wanted to know, talking quietly._

_He took a few seconds to answer. "In case things get to a point where I have to place a restraining order on her. Then I'll have evidence of her harassment."_

_That makes sense. He's so smart; I'm glad he's around to make sense of things for me. I rested my head against his shoulder, feeling too shy to look up at him. "I'm sorry I got mad. I should've let you explain."_

_I felt him sigh deeply and he wrapped his arms around me. "Well, now you know better. You're a fast learner, I knew you'd understand right away." He kissed the side of my head gently. "You know I love you, doll. But I don't know if after this I can trust you."_

_Filled with disappointment at myself and also horror that I had caused him to feel this way made me pop my head up and stare at him. "No, no, you can trust me! I won't do it again, honest." Please don't leave me alone...I'd feel terrible if I caused someone to leave me..._

_Guy glanced down at me, his eyes not so stormy anymore but instead looking calm again. "How are you going to prove that?"_

_Desperation washed into me. "I'll do whatever you want...anything at all..." I looked down again, feeling crummy. "I really am sorry..."_

_His hand reached under my chin and he forced me to look up at him again, looking almost smug about...something. "Anything?" he smiled, petting my face. _

_Yeah...I nodded...I'd do anything...just so I won't be alone...just so I'll be loved..._

* * *

**Present**** Day**

Of course Guy had been lying...he manipulated everything to where it would always be _my _fault. "Nevada" ended up being his wife three months after I finally broke up with him for good, what does _that_ tell you? He played mind games with me, he made me think my parents were the enemy, that Bestie was even out to bring me down, that I wasn't worth anything to anybody.

That I was _nothing_.

"_She's NOTHING to me, you hear that? The only reason I'm with her is because of a stupid contract. She's nothing but a convenient tool for me to mooch off of while I'm here and THAT'S ALL."_

I had heard the words come straight from Turbo's mouth yet part of me refused to think that I had _really_ heard them. Surely I had misunderstood, he'd never say anything like that. That would mean that our entire relationship, whatever it may be, was one stretched out lie. I had frozen solid upon hearing them, allowing them to sink in fully. When he turned around and saw me, I didn't know what to say if I could even say anything at all right then. My heart literally cracked open, the all-too-familiar feelings of disappointment, bitterness, anger, and melancholy gushing out of me as if someone had just stuck a knife in me.

When he finally spoke, I didn't even hear what he said; his voice alone made me break down, like a finger pressing down on a trigger. Crying in public was mortifying for me and before I knew what I was fully doing, I turned and ran. I had to get away from here, away from _him_, find a spot where I could be alone and vent all my feelings out where no one could bother me.

How could I be so stupid..._again_? How could I have let myself think that he really cared? The only reason he even began living with me is because I happened to be the first person he came across...and I let him walk all over me and use me for all I had. _A convenient __tool_, that's what he said and he was right. Heck, everyone was right, I'm the world's biggest doormat and even after my attempts at trying to break from that trait, I still manage to look like a fool. Why didn't I listen to my parents, they had been right about Guy and they were right about Turbo. They must wonder how they could have given birth to such an idiot.

Tears blinding me, I came to a stop at one of the wooden railings that bordered the walk so people wouldn't fall into the ocean. I leaned my upper body over it and sobbed, my tears falling down into the water to make their tiny contribution to the salt levels. My lungs were begging for fresh oxygen and I involuntarily gasped air into them. I curled my fists and raised them to my brows, propping my elbows onto the railing so I could rest my aching head.

He had lied about _everything_. I should've known better than to start trusting him, sharing inner parts of my life and allowing myself to think we were _friends_. I should've expected this from a guy who acts behind a facade for most of his existence; he had tricked Ralph (and the audiences) with that story about why Vanellope couldn't race and fooled the entire arcade for years that he was dead. What made me think that someone like that could be trusted in the first place? If I had been smart, which obviously I'm _not_, I would've called the cops on Day One of his arrival to my apartment.

Amid my heavy crying and mental rambling, I heard my name being called out. I didn't bother turning around; I didn't want to see him right now, not ever, and especially not while I'm at my lowest. Footsteps sounded behind me and they slowed to a halt once behind me.

"Blondie, I didn't mean any of that stuff you heard, I swear!" Turbo began speaking rapidly, hardly leaving room for any pauses. I could barely make out heavy breathing from me, supposedly from running after me. "I don't really think that way about you, I-"

"Leave me alone!" I choked out in a hoarse, teary voice as I kept my face down towards the ocean below. "I don't wanna talk to you!"

His arms went around me then in a backwards hug, his head resting against the back of mine. My eyes closed, part of me wanting to let him hold me and the other part wanting to shove him off. "Just listen to me, please," he was saying, his voice strained as if he was having to force the words out. "I _had _to say those things, somebody's out there that-"

I wasn't paying attention to a word he said...his words were faded into the background as if he were a mile away. The eerie sense of déjà vu came over me and all of my history with Guy came into the front part of my mind.

He's trying to trick me...he's lying to me...I'm going to look like a fool again if I fall for everything he says like a mindless naïve twit...I can't do that to myself again...I _won't_ go through it a second time.

Every doubt and fear that I had bottled up inside of me finally began to erupt to the surface, much like a bottle of soda fizzing over when you shake it too hard. My whole body shook as my emotions collided together in a massive train wreck of chaos and I shrugged my shoulders up before slamming them back down forcefully to get Turbo's arms off of me. I twisted myself around and pierced my eyes at him, blurry with tears.

"I said leave me alone!" I snarled out, my face hurting due to having it twisted up in an angry expression. I shoved a hand out and pressed hard on his chest to get him to further back up. "You just stay away from me, you...you manipulating, conceited, _evil monster!"_

His face appeared etched with distraught and pain when I screamed the words at him; it was almost enough to make me feel guilty for having said them. My heart _did_ hurt when I said it out loud, my feelings for him didn't just vanish after all, but I couldn't allow myself to feel sorry for someone that said I meant _nothing_ to them.

"Please, just _listen_ to me," Turbo told me in a slow, calm manner, I assume in an attempt to calm me down. "I didn't mean any of that junk you heard. You mean the _world_ to me." He started trying to come near me again but I backed up so that he couldn't. "Let's go sit down somewhere and I'll _explain_."

He's stalling for time so he can come up with a good excuse. Not buying it. I've had that trick played one too many times.

"No, let _me_ explain something to _you_," I snapped, pointing a finger at him aggressively. "If you think you're going to worm your way back into my heart after this, you are very much mistaken. You're only sorry that you got caught saying those things and now you're trying to be all nice and sweet in order to reel me back in so you can keep taking advantage of me! Well, forget it! I'm not falling for that game anymore!"

Turbo gave me the most quizzical look. "What are you_ talking_ about?" he asked quietly, trying to reach his arms out towards me. "I'm not trying to trick you into anything, I just want you to quit yelling and listen to-"

I backed up a little more, hitting the wooden beam that served as a safety rail so people wouldn't go flying into the water. "And I just want _you_ to back off! There's nothing you can say that can make me forget what you _already_ said."

I slapped his hands away when he got closer, his eyes looking pained and desperate. "Do you not hear me?" I bit acidly, fresh tears flowing from my own eyes. "You're _nothing_ to me too, so leave me alone! You haven't changed at all, you're still a selfish jerk like you were before! I should have left you in prison where you belong to rot!"

Once the words left my mouth, I regretted them; even though I was madder than heck, I really didn't think he belonged in prison. And it wasn't true that he meant 'nothing' to me, crazy as that sounds. I was only saying that because I was angry and lashing out my frustration at him. After all, it isn't his fault that I'm a gullible fool; I should be more mad at myself really.

The hurt expression he was wearing deepened at first...after a few seconds, he slowly developed more of an angry look himself, his eyes narrowing into slits and his teeth gritting together.

"Fine, if that's how you really feel, then forget about it," he growled at me, keeping his fists at his side. "You got your stubborn little mind made up and nothing I say is gonna change it. So you can go back to your lonely little life and stay cooped up avoiding Reality for all I care."

My heart squeezed itself painfully and I twisted back around towards the ocean, not caring to see him anymore. "Fine, I was better off before anyway."

More tears rolled down my cheeks, hating that this was happening...I had really wanted this to work...obviously that's a stupid thing to want to happen...

Turbo didn't say anything after that and after a minute had passed, I allowed myself to glance behind me. He wasn't there anymore or anywhere close by where I could spot him. I bit my lip and went over to sit on a nearby bench, burying my face in my hands to cry. I thought about calling Bestie, but she'd just confirm what I already knew: that I should've seen the signs, shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, shouldn't have trusted someone that was created for the purpose of evil-doing. I don't feel like hearing that right now.

I haven't felt so alone in a long time...and it's not a good feeling.

* * *

**TURBO'S POV**

I couldn't bear to hear anymore angry talk from her. She wouldn't even give me a chance to explain! Hard-headed female. Nothing she said about me was even true; I don't know where she got half of that from anyway, it was all nonsense. Still, hearing her say those things brought me indescribable pain...she didn't have to call me a 'monster' or wish me back in prison. That was all uncalled for.

I found a spot on the beach that was away from everyone else and sat down, not caring if I got sand all over me, and watched the waves roll in. My heart was burning with the agony of rejection. Why couldn't she have just listened to me? She never listens to me when I try to tell her something, she always assumes that I'M the enemy!

Oh, who am I kidding? I don't blame her for never wanting to see me again. I never should have said those things, even if I DID have good intentions. I just didn't want that jerk on the phone to target her for something just in case HE was targeting ME. Nobody made me screw up...I wasn't SCRIPTED to do this. It was all my own idea. It's all my fault.

My throat started to constrict and my eyes were getting a little blurry. I rested my head in my hands, closing my eyes to the world as a few tears fell. I must have gotten some sand in my eyes, that's it. Stupid beach.

Being alone is the most un-turbo-tastic thing ever.


	57. Completely Unexpected Events

**whoop whoop, got to the 700 review mark! XD Big thanks to all you lovely people that are reading! Hope you guys are prepared for this chapter! :D**

_TurboLover: (evil laugh) Assaulting your feels was my intention! XD And yes, you can assume the worst on the "anything" part. The "Guy" who exists in reality would take a whole novel for me to write about how crazy he is. lol yeah "turbo-tastic" is a bit over-used at times but it's still awesome! And I hope your mom lets you get a shirt at least!_

_Ellie: Things will get happier soon, don't worry, I can't leave it sad forever :)_

_Race-It Roxie: yes, "Guy" was (and still is) a jerk. haha and punch away! XD_

_apple: (hands you more tissues) no, I'm not sending him back ;)_

_girlpandagreenlime: Sorry for obliterating your feels! Actually, no, I'm not sorry, that means I was successful (evil laugh)_

_OriginalPrincess: And the Feels Train just keeps on rolling! All aboard! lol_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**TURBO'S POV**

I don't know how long I sat there in the sand, watching the waves roll. A couple of seagulls landed close to me and skittered around for a while before flying off together. I saw a guy and his girlfriend along the shoreline holding hands and laughing. Another couple was chasing each other around with squirt guns, the real big kinds that those kids in the commercials have. There was one off to my left that sounded like they were having some kind of squabble but then they ended up apologizing and going to go get some lemonade slushes.

Sighing deeply, I tried to focus on the water to clear my head. Maybe once Blondie calms down, she'll listen to me. I know she couldn't have meant all that stuff she said. I know she really cares about me or else she wouldn't have gotten so upset. You know, maybe she thinks I'm like her ex-boyfriend, I guess he must've said or did stuff to make her upset too. I don't know everything about it since she barely talks about it.

Swallowing hard, I forced myself to get up and dusted the sand off my shorts (or tried to anyway, that stuff is kinda sticky) and headed back in the direction I'd come from, albeit slowly. I needed time to think about what I was going to say...and how I was going to react in case she really DID hate my guts.

You know what, maybe I should cool off first. I could really use a nap right now to be honest. Heck, maybe Blondie even went there. I can't imagine her sticking around in a public spot while crying for very long. She'd rather be by herself for sure. I took in a deep breath and exhaled sadly, steering myself into the direction of the condo.

* * *

**Blondie's POV **

"You all right, babe?"

I jerked my head up when I heard the strange male voice coming from somewhere above me. I had been too preoccupied with moping and crying into my hands to even pay any attention to the people around me. Thanks to the Florida sun, I had to squint and blink a few times to see who had dared speak to me in my hour of distress.

He looked about forty, with a stocky build and had enough muscle showing through his too-tight sky blue tee shirt to tell me that he practically lived at the gym. Even though I was sitting down, I could tell he wasn't too terribly tall. He had dark brown eyes and a shaved head, not a smooth shave though, it was more like when your head has a five o'clock shadow all over it. He had dark skin and had Hawaiian print shorts on plus some sandals with white socks in them, looking like a total doofus in the process. Oh and he had this small black backpack on him, I assume to carry his water, towel, wallet and possibly a few small souvenirs in. To sum him up, he looked like a beefed up Italian who raided a tourist shop for the tackiest clothes imaginable.

"I'm_ not_ your babe," I quipped back after I finished my visual scan of him.

Muscles held his hands up in a position of self-defense as if to tell me to calm down. "Whoa, easy, chickadee, I didn't mean no harm. What's a _lady_ like yourself doing sitting alone in Florida crying for? You should be out there-", he waved his arms out towards where the beach was located,"-having fun in the sun!"

This dude is getting on my nerves _fast_. "Do you always come up to crying girls in public and yak?" I inquired of him in a bitter tone, wiping my tear-drenched cheeks with my hands before rising to my feet. "Take a hint and buzz off."

With crossed arms and a ducked head, I hastily walked away from that spot. I can't stand strangers that come up to me in public and try to bother me when I obviously do not want to be bothered at the time. Right now, I don't want _anyone_ talking to me, not even the vendors at the little booths around here, so I decided to leave the area altogether and head back for the condo where I could maybe get a nap and clear my head. Things always looked better after you wake up fresh and renewed.

After about three minutes, I felt like I was being followed. I know that's a weird thing to say when you're in a crowded place but I had this feeling that someone was purposely following me. I turned my head but didn't see anyone that _seemed_ to be suspicious...which didn't tell me much. No one was acting out-of-place or like they had just gotten caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing anyway.

I decided to keep going for now but the feeling just wouldn't go away. I opted to cut through an alley just in case. That way, if someone _was_ following me, I'd know for sure. That's what people do in the movies when they're being tailed by a car anyway so it should work for people traveling on foot as well.

I used a series of alleyways for the next five minutes or so, looking behind me every so often. At one point, I even ducked behind a trash can and waited a few seconds to see if someone eventually showed up. They never did. Geez, I'm more paranoid than I thought! Laughing quietly and shaking my head at myself, I neared the end of the alley and-

"Where are _you_ going?!"

My heart leapt in my throat when out of from nowhere Muscles appeared in front of me from behind the corner of the building to my right. He was no longer pulling his old "concerned citizen" act; he looked like a tough inner-city thug ready to come in for the kill. My breath hitched and all I could stupidly think to do was back up out of shock away from him, my brain suddenly overloaded as I tried to think of what to do next. I _know_ how to defend myself but the problem is that when I need to use these supposed skills of mine, my body's in too much shock for me to actual _use_ any of them. I couldn't even scream!

In the tie span of two seconds, Muscles had reached out with one of his beefy arms and grabbed me around the throat, his eyes looking like they were about to pop a few blood vessels from straining so hard. Something snapped in me and I kicked a leg up hard in his crotch area. Unfortunately for me, I had chosen to wear a dress today and kicking upwards is rather difficult to do in this particular garment. Muscles grabbed at my leg and flipped me onto my back where I landed roughly on the dirty concrete that made up the alley.

Pain shot up my back and the back of head bounced on the concrete, making me instinctively grab it in effort to help soothe it. I suddenly found myself staring at a socks-and-sandal foot being pressed on top of my chest and he was pressing down firmly.

"I'm getting paid a lot of money for this so cooperate and I _might_ go easy on you!" Muscles growled at me with a sneer, his face contorted into an ugly brutal expression.

_Paid? _was the first thing I thought and then I finally found my voice and started shoving at his foot. "_Get off me, let me go, hellllp!"_

"Shut up!"

He pressed against my chest harder, which now felt like it was ready to cave in and I imagined all my ribs poking into my lungs and heart. Tears squirted from my eyes due to the pain and I was wildly trying to shove him off of me and also flailing my legs in hopes that I could get lucky and kick him.

It was then that I found out what he had in that backpack of his; with one arm, he swung it around to his front side and unzipped it before pulling out a stout metal pipe. My self-survival instincts shifted into high gear (not to mention my panic attack levels) and I started beating my fists against his leg that he still had on top of me.

"Relax, babe, I won't hurt you_ too_ bad," he sneered down at me as he tossed the backpack to the side and did a few practice swings with his pipe. "Besides, I got a bigger fish I wanna fry."

What is he_ talking_ about?

"_Hey_! _Get off her_!"

What happened next took place in roughly five seconds. It would take me a few minutes to be able to fully comprehend what had actually happened in those five seconds and it wasn't something I ever wanted to think about ever again.

A familiar male voice had shouted from behind Muscles to get off of me and before the stocky-built man could stop what he was doing, he had swung around and slammed his pipe into whoever it was that had snuck up on him. I heard a sickening thud as the pipe connected with the person's head and then they crumpled lifelessly to the ground. My eyes widened in horror and time stood still for a few moments, my heart skipping a beat, when I saw who it was. An inhuman screech sounded and it took me a while to realize it had come from _me_.

"Turrrrrbooooo!"

Turbs wasn't moving; he was simply laying there halfway on the sidewalk and halfway in the alley, his head turned to the side and his arms and legs all in weird angles from having fallen. He had a huge knot already above his right eye, which was split open and a trickle of blood was running down his face.

At the same time that I had screamed, Muscles unexpectedly released me from his foot and scrambled back with what looked like a horrified expression of his own; his hands were to his mouth and his eyes huge in shock. He had dropped the pipe upon realizing what he'd done and it clanged on the concrete, rolling towards me at an angle.

"Oh man, oh man, this ain't good!" he started babbling, shaking his head at himself. "I was supposed to let him hit _me_ first!"

Through my shock, I managed to filter what he was saying through my brain and it dawned on me that this had been a setup for _Turbo_. My horror turned into fury and I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as I sat up.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" I demanded to know, standing myself up woozily.

Muscles jerked and stared at me, probably having forgotten I was even there. I bent over and snatched up the pipe, pointing it aggressively in his direction. I could _feel _the heat in my eyes as I pierced them at him, storming over to him.

"Answer me before I dislocate your kneecaps and bust _you_ in the head!" I screamed at him, keeping a tight grip on my newly acquired weapon. I was still shaky from the ordeal but for the time being I was more mad than scared.

Muscles held his hands up to his face in case I decided to take a whack at him. _Good idea_.

"D-don't hurt me, 'kay, I was only doing what I was paid to do!" he started whimpering. What a freakin' baby, this beefed up mook is afraid of a skinny white girl? If I wasn't so P.O.'d, I'd be laughing.

"And just _what_ were you paid to do _exactly_?" I asked in a strained voice, never letting my eyes off of him. "And _who_ paid you?"

"I don't know 'who'! We never spoke in person, only on the phone!" Muscles kept glancing down at Turbs with terrified eyes as if he'd never seen an unconscious person before, despite the fact that _he _was the one that caused it to happen. "I was watching you two all day and had called him-," he pointed at Turbo,"-just to scare him a bit and he yelled some stuff about how you weren't his girlfriend or something then you ran off and I found you crying and then you stormed off and then I was supposed to attack you and then _he-," _he motioned at Turbs again,"-was supposed punch me to defend you and that would mean he would get arrested by some special police that has some kind of freaky tracking devices that would sound some kinda alarm when he hurt someone, look it's all very confusing and I just wanted some money to buy my heart medication, _please don't hurt me_!"

He spat everything out so fast and in one long run-on sentence that it both confused and annoyed me. I don't think he breathed once the entire time he spoke. Then in just one more moment, the guy took off running! He sprinted away from the scene of his crime before I could stop him!

"Hey, get back here, coward!" I yelled at him as he disappeared out of sight, running into a few people in the process.

If I didn't have Turbo to worry about, I might would've chased after Muscles what with all the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I couldn't very well leave Turbs by himself though, not with him laying unconscious on the ground and his head bleeding. I threw the pipe down to the side and got on my knees beside him, putting a hand on his chest and shaking him gently.

"Turbs?" I strained to ask, feeling tears build up in my eyes as the rush from earlier drifted away and my emotions all came crashing back into me. "Turbs?!"

His chest was barely rising and falling so I knew he was breathing plus his heart was beating so I knew he wasn't dead. Not that being unconscious is anything to be excited about but at least he was alive.

What happened next was all one crazy blur, like it wasn't really happening to _me_ but was happening to someone else and I was simply watching it from a television screen. Someone had come up to ask if we were okay, I'd said 'no, do we _look_ like we're okay?', then an ambulance and police came. It was such a mess. I don't think my brain was fully functioning when I was retelling the story. All I could focus on was the emergency personnel strapping Turbs to a stretcher (I'm sure at least one of them mentioned _Wreck-It Ralph_) and stowing him away inside the ambulance to travel to the nearest hospital.

The police escorted me personally to the emergency room, and for once I didn't have any qualms about the "pigs" being anywhere near me, and I went through the usual spill of putting him on my insurance, answering questions, yadda yadda. Things that were important but at the same time _not_ important.

I didn't want to sit in the waiting room so I was placed in what was called the "family room" which is really supposed to be where families go when someone dies and they can be in there and grieve in privacy, but nothing like that was currently going on so the staff let me stay in there for now. All I could think in my head was pray that he'd be okay, even though I kept telling myself that he _couldn't_ die, that Disney characters were immortal. Then I remembered during my first visit to Disney World that Kaa the python had admitted to me that he'd eaten the cast of _The Black Cauldron_ so obviously _they _hadn't been immortal, and I started crying into my hands.

I felt so _responsible_ for putting him in this situation; if I'd just listened to him earlier, maybe this could've been avoided. He'd only been trying to protect me by saying all that crap earlier about me meaning nothing to him...obviously I had to mean _something_ to him for him to even attempt to come to my aid, even if the only thing he'd been able to do was jump-scare the guy. It's not like he could've attacked him, what with that "no hurting people" rule.

And if he _were_ to hurt someone, how would anyone know? I tried to filter what Muscles had rambled on about when he was still in the alley. Something about tracking devices? Does Turbs have some kind of internal monitor embedded in him that alerts a remote system somewhere that he caused harm to someone? If that's the case, how does it even work? It would have to be based on a type of futuristic technology. Now that I was actively thinking on it, I couldn't get it out of my head. Was he being _spied_ on? Were _all_ the Disney characters subject to this or only the villains?

I wish I could piece together all the tidbits from today and patch them together so it would all make sense to me. Pieces of what Muscles had said were floating back into my mind: he had called Turbs (how he got the number, I don't know), spooked him out so Turbs made up some stuff about me I guess to keep him off my back (not that it worked), then he was supposed to attack me and have Turbo attack him back so he'd get in trouble by the Disney police. So what I understood was that someone from Disney World had hired this guy to do this, and it was someone that had a beef with Turbs. But who? It could be anyone. Someone jealous that he could stay in the Real World? Someone that just flat out hated his guts? I wanted answers but at the same time I was too scared to know them.

Hearing a woman's voice say my name was the only thing that snapped me out of my thoughts. A nurse that eerily reminded me of Kathy Bates of _Misery _fame (and the image of the literally axe-crazy former fictional nurse was not exactly something I wanted to conjure up at the moment) led me down the hall and into the ER proper to go towards what I assumed would be Turbo's room.

"The doctor did a CAT scan to check for any bleeds in the brain, which came out negative," she was informing me in what under normal circumstances would be a cheerful tone, which didn't seem to fit her appearance but then again appearances are always deceiving. "He doesn't have any broken bones either. We cleaned his wound and stitched him up with those kind of stitches that dissolve on their own but it's really not as bad as you would have thought. A skin tear on the head bleeds out a _lot, _even if it isn't nothing but a paper cut. He's going to have a knot for a few days until the swelling goes down but even _that_ isn't as bad as it could've been. You two got really lucky in other words."

I gave her a false smile to let her know I appreciated her words but at the same time I didn't feel like smiling at all. I pulled back the privacy curtain in the room and saw him laying there in the hospital bed with his head and torso partially tilted upwards, all cleaned up like the nurse had said. They managed to get him in a gown which would've made me laugh if my mood had been more chipper, remembering the last time we had gone to the ER and he had flat out refused to put a gown on. He probably would've fought them tooth and nail if he'd been awake through this, and _especially_ during the stitches part. I don't know how stitches work exactly but I don't think they had to use a needle for the ones they used on him.

I heard myself ask if he was in a coma; what's the matter with me? How could I even think such a thing much less say it out loud?

The nurse (I mentally dubbed her "Annie", the name of the nurse that Ms. Bates had acted as in _Misery_) told me his EEG was normal as well as all his other tests they performed. It was just a matter of him waking up or else he'd have to stay the night here for observation, which hopefully didn't have to happen. Annie said if I needed anything to tell her and I smiled and said my thanks before going into the room and closing the door.

I never dreamed in a million years that I'd be in an emergency room while on vacation, much less staring at my best friend laying on a gurney with his head sewed shut and having a nice bruise to show for it. I shakily let out a breath that I didn't realize I had been holding in for a while and I forced myself to go over to the side of the bed where a chair was located so I could sit by him. I first leaned over to get a better look at his head and shuddered before scooting the chair forward so I could sit closer. He wasn't hooked up to any monitors which surprised me but I guess they ran all those types of tests when he first arrived and determined that nothing was wrong with him except he was still knocked out.

My mouth opened to speak but nothing came out except a measly little cry and I leaned forward to rest my forehead on the mattress, wrapping my arms across my face and letting one of my hands hold his. I cried so hard I couldn't even breathe, having to gasp for air more than a few times. My running mascara would probably rival that of Taffyta's.

"Please wake up," I whimpered out, having to push the words out of my strained throat by force. "I love you, just _please _wake up already."

I laced my fingers through his, which you'd think would be awkward what with the finger difference but it felt perfectly natural to be honest. His fingers were limp in mine and it took everything in my power not to get up and start trying to shake him awake, as if he were playing a game with me and not really injured.

So many things started rushing through my head, mostly about things that we had done together over the last few months, things that were said, and then I replayed today's events in my mind. I didn't really want to but I couldn't help it. Seeing Turbs get hit like that and then slump over onto the ground made me...I felt devastated. Depressed. Outraged. Every kind of strong emotion you can think of, I had felt it.

I had forgotten that I was holding his hand up until I felt it _squeeze_.

Jerking my head up instantly, I saw Turbs roll his head gently towards me, his eyes still closed and he let out a painful groan. If I hadn't been crying earlier, I sure was now, out of sheer happiness. I'd never been so happy to see someone wake up in my life!

"Oh thank God, you're okay!" I squealed with tearful joy as I let go of his hand so I could lean over the bed to give him a hug as best I could, snuggling my head down between his shoulder and neck. I even gave him a few cheek kisses, that's how elated I was, and it never even crossed my mind that I was being a bit of a nut job right now. "I thought you were going to die!"

He coughed weakly a couple times and he raspily said, "Gee, thanks for having so much faith in me."

I smiled through my tears and then I realized I was probably smothering the poor thing so I backed off of him, sitting myself on the side of the mattress. He blinked at me, his eyes still looking drowsy.

"What...what happened?" he asked me tiredly, reaching his hand up to feel where his head had been cut and winced in pain.

I had to grab his hand to put it back down. "Don't touch it, you might get it all infected!" He squeezed my hand again and I let it stay there this time. "Don't you remember anything?"

It took him a while to spit the words out but he finally replied, "Some guy was...holdin' you down...and I got upset and...told him to stop..." He took a breath in before he finished up. "Then I think he...hit me with something?"

I nodded, feeling my stomach sink again just thinking about it. "Yeah, he did..." I cast my eyes down for a moment. "I'd never been so scared in my life. I thought he killed you."

"He _could_ have," Turbs responded quietly and I glanced back up at him.

"I guess I was under the impression that you guys were immortal," I tried to joke, only it didn't come out that way.

He went to shake his head 'no', but he hissed in pain at doing that so he quit. "Only...ones that are _that_ are...ones that get used over and over...like Mickey. Or if there are future plans for them...like for a sequel..." He weakly raised a hand up to his chest. "Me? I can get killed...like a real person...I just can't age."

Well gee_, _I wish I'd known _that_ a long time ago. "So uh...why did you even show up anyway? It was quite a nice coincidence that you happened along really."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I was going back to condo...was gonna either nap or...see if you went there...was going to apologize..."

I frowned lightly. "I'm sorry, Turbs," I told him softly, starting to tear up again. "I should've listened to you earlier."

"It's fine," he interrupted me. "I wouldn't have believed me either." He gave me a faint smile. "I really am sorry...about what I said."

I heaved a sigh of my own, tucking some hair behind my ear. "It's all right. We just had a big misunderstanding is all." I cleared my throat. "That guy said that he wasn't supposed to have hit you...that you were supposed to hit him instead so you'd get in trouble."

He took a moment before answering. "Guess I'm not all that popular then."

I knew he was trying to be funny but I didn't appreciate it. "Throwing you back in prison isn't a joke, Turbo. Some punk is running around spying on you or us or whatever and has some crazy revenge plot against you." I remembered something I had been thinking of earlier and then asked, "And how does anyone know if you hurt anyone or not anyway? You got some monitor hidden in you or something?"

His eyes rolled. "Just chalk it up to the magic of Disney."

The door opened and Nurse Annie peeked her head in, causing me to curse mentally at her for interrupting. When she saw that Turbs was awake, she went into this big happy spill about it and went to go grab the doctor so he could check him out and do a few more tests. To sum up, everything was fine, he was just going to have a nasty head bump for a short while. In fact, he looked so good that we were allowed to leave whenever we wanted, but the doctor did give us copies of all the test results to take home with us just in case something happened when we got there.

Turbs was getting a little more of his strength back, not to mention he was starting to get gripey about wanting pain meds and some water. He didn't like having to be pushed out of the ER in a wheelchair either even though that was the protocol they use there. The taxi came to pick us up at the entrance and most of the ride home was quiet since Turbs' meds were starting to kick in. I hope he can get to our room in the condo without passing out on me, I can't drag him.

He was shuffling his feet and yawning considerably the entire walk to our suite. I was on the edge the entire time, fearing he'd fall over and hit his head _again_. He ended up crashing on the couch and I had to make sure he didn't do anything to bump that side of his head again. I smiled when I looked down at him; he's so cute when he's sleepy. I grabbed a spare blanket that was in the bedroom and covered him up with it before turning the light out and going to take a shower. After I brushed my teeth and got dressed for bed, I went back to the front to make sure he was still okay.

Since he had his eyes closed, I assumed he was asleep. I reached out and petted his head for a few seconds, my heart fluttering a bit. Words can't describe how glad I am that he's here and safe. I was about to turn away and head to the bedroom but right before I could do so, I felt his hand grab onto mine and I turned back to stare at him. Turbo's eyes were half-open, the faint yellow glow looking like two hot amber gems burning in the night. My stomach got all tight when he started pulling me back over to the couch and he shifted himself over a bit.

"Stay here," he said to me quietly.

My legs felt like Jello thanks to him looking at me _like that_ and I made myself swallow to keep my mouth from being dry. "What on earth for?"

I heard him sigh faintly and his fingers rubbed against mine. "I love you too."

My heart skipped a beat and my whole body went up in flames as I'm fairly sure I was blushing head to toe. The first thing I thought was, "Oh crap, he must've heard me say it in his room earlier!" but then I thought, "Wow...he loves me too..."; and that was it. I had thought I'd be dreading this moment but in fact, the opposite was quite true. The biggest smile formed on my face, suddenly feeling like the happiest soul alive as my heart warmed up to the nth degree.

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

I almost didn't say it, thinking she'd bolt once she figured out that I had indeed heard _her_ say to me first. I had just started getting a stream of consciousness back and at first I didn't even know she'd said it until a few more moments had passed. I also remember her giving me a few kisses when she realized I was awake. I'd been too groggy to really appreciate them at the time but I remembered them all right and it was a _turbo-tastic_ experience.

When I saw her smile just now, I figured I must've picked a good time to say it back. I guess almost getting killed today had a benefit to it after all.

"That okay?" I wanted to know, still looking up at her.

* * *

**"Blondie's" POV**

"Uh-huh," I squeaked out, still in a mild phase of shock at having heard those words come out of his mouth.

I could barely make out the hint of a smile in the dark and he tugged on my arm again. "Come on, I'll share the covers."

I felt like I was in some sort of dream sequence where some outside force is in control of my actions because I don't even remember allowing myself to get down there and curl up by him. Turbs stayed partially tilted on his back so I could rest against his chest while he pulled the blanket up to my chin, then wrapping his arms around me to get comfortable. I closed my eyes and sighed, nuzzling my face under his chin and situated my arms to get comfy themselves. I could hear his heart beating against my chest and I smiled to myself, thinking about how _normal_ this felt.

Turbs gave me a little kiss on top of my head which only made me smile more, feeling like a dang teenager again but for once I didn't care. I love him and he loves me...there shouldn't be anything wrong with that...and there wasn't.

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

I was still too shy to try for a real kiss so I gave her a little one on her head just to try it out. She always smells like that vanilla-jasmine stuff and I felt all warm inside for a moment. She was all curled up next to me and I had my arms around her to keep her there, resting my head on hers and sighing deeply to TRY to sleep.

I got her. She's finally **mine **and I'm **hers**. I didn't think it'd ever happen...yet here we are. I think we still have a little ways to go in a few departments but the point is that we made it to HERE, which is turbo-tastic enough in itself. If we take it one day at a time, I'm sure we'll be just fine.

* * *

**EDIT: I'm getting a lot of people asking if this is the last chapter, but no it isn't! We still have a loooooong way to go before the ending ever happens!**


	58. Second Secret Phone Call

_Girlpandagreenlime__:Nope, not the last chapter ;) There's a TON of story left! :D  
_

_Ellie__: Oh heck no, that ain't the end of the story! There's still A LOT more to go, trust me! This baby ain't gonna be finished for quite a while lol._

_jabootsy25: A sequel? XD I'm not even done with THIS one yet! lol_

_OriginalPrincess: lol nope, only under the right circumstances would she "jump-kiss" someone :) Besides, she didn't want to hurt him anymore than he already was._

_Race-It Roxie: Thanks! :) It took long enough for us to get there, huh? And still got way more stuff to tackle in the future!_

_TurboLover: Glad you liked it :) Well, I don't think it'd be smart to end this when there's still sooo many loose ends to be tied up with it. I think sequels should be for separate storylines with a hint of continuation mixed in to tie the stories together. When this beast is over, if I can think of a "continuing adventures" storyline, I might do that. And I know! I wonder what kind of song King Candy would sing? And I wish they had left in the detail that he can use his bow tie to fly with :3 so cute. And yes the WiR soundtrack is AWESOME!_

_apple: Yay for happy tears! :D_

_betheleaf: lol I don't know nothin' about the Hedgehog series/characters except they are really fast and Shadow is the dark one :P But glad I gave you a happy explosion :)_

_Shaycandybar714: hello again! And yes that was definitely a dream ;) A really messed up one lol. And awesome! I love finding merchandise for my favorite characters :3_

_Guest: We'll have to see about any wedding stuff ;) _

* * *

**Second Secret Phone Call**

_?: What do you MEAN you knocked him out?! You idiot, I pay you to do one thing and you screw THAT up? He was supposed to hit YOU!  
_

_Muscles: Look, I'm sorry, sir! He came up behind me and spooked me, man!_

_?: Can't you control yourself? Do you always whack people that sneak up behind you? Do you always have this much trouble following directions?  
_

_Muscles: Hey it was an accident, all right? 'Sides, why do you want him alive anyway when it'd be easier to kill him? Why bother with putting him in this prison thing or whatever?_

_?: Be-CAUSE, you incompetent HUMAN, I want him to suffer for his crimes! Death would be too easy! He doesn't deserve love and affection or any of that popularity that he has with the fandom!_

_Muscles: Wait, HUMAN? Aren't you one, though?_

_?: NO! Well, not really but...DON'T INTERRUPT ME! The point is that you ruined the job! And that means no money!_

_Muscles: But...but I really need it! I HAVE to have that medicine! And I COULD have been beat up by that crazy chick in the dress, she meant business, man!_

_?: Tell it someone who cares. Good-bye, Antonio, and don't call this number again._

_Muscles: But-_

_-click-_

* * *

The mystery man rubbed two stumpy fingers along the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and muttering about how idiotic people were. He should've known better than to choose a random lackey to do the job; he needed to make this more personal. Find someone who would actually do what he was told...someone that already KNEW that infuriating "guardian" and had a score to settle with her. That way, he'd be sure to put that racer behind bars where he should have STAYED in the first place.

"You don't deserve a fanbase, you psychopathic, homicidal, walking corpse," he muttered to himself as he went to the sink mirror in the men's bathroom to make sure he didn't look too out of sorts. No need to bring attention to himself. He straightened his tie and he exited the otherwise empty men's room, looking in all directions up and down the hallway to make sure no one saw him. He cleared his throat and walked off, whistling a little tune as he went.

What he didn't know is that someone had overheard at least HIS part of the conversation...

Randall Boggs kept himself camouflaged against the wall of the bathroom until he was sure the man was gone. He had no clue what was going on with this guy or what he had planned, but he knew it was a matter of time before his plan came to full fruition.


	59. Racing (Hearts)

_betheleaf: LOL I do know who Clopin is at least! XD Awesome movie.  
_

_apple: All will be revealed in time ;) and yes, I get an email every time someone leaves a review or a private message :)  
_

_TurboLover: yes, he has a tie ;) and yeah there was a video floating around once that had King Candy flying around with his bowtie while he talks to Vanellope in the Fungeon but that whole scene was cut. It was so adorable :) And aw man, that's a bummer DX_

_OriginalPrincess: Yes, Randall's a good guy in this ;) _

_Race-It Roxie: lol here's a hint: it is someone that Turbo talked to ONCE in this story and it was when "Blondie" wasn't around. I leave tiny hints to his identity in each of his scenes too so might help to re-read those as a refresher. _

_jabootsy25: He IS jealous, but he has his reasons too. lol I don't think we're the typical couple that does things "by the book", but we might joke around about what other people do ;) And yeah, eavesdropping can be good in certain situations!  
_

_ShayCandyBar714: lol you can guess if you want, everybody else is ;) Mmmm cheesecake XD My other favorite Disney movie is "The Fox and the Hound" and I can never find anything for it either. And I love Basil X3 that movie should have had a sequel or a tv show! Same with Rescuers, that could've been a tv show too._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"Turbs?"

He shifted his head towards me when I said his name; the both of us were sitting on our balcony watching the sunrise over the horizon. We were going to go go-karting and ride the Ferris wheel before the NASCAR race started in the evening, so we had a busy schedule today.

I fiddled with my fingers in my lap for a couple moments, trying to remember how I had practiced it in my head all day. "Did…did you ever once think those things about me? You know, about me not meaning anything to you and…and that other stuff."

I wasn't sure why I even brought it up. Ever since the excitement of yesterday ended and I had woken up with a fresh mind though, the idea that there had been a hint of truth in the horrible thing he'd said about me wouldn't stop haunting me.

Turbo gazed at me sadly, turning his head away from me for a few seconds before turning it back. "When I first got here, yes."

I felt my stomach twist up, even though I'd expected to hear that. My head dropped down to my lap, not really sure how to think about it. Turbs reached one of his hands over and pulled one of mine away from the other to get me to stop fiddling with them and then held it.

"But I don't think that _now_," he added, the smile in his voice being enough to make me look back up at him. "If it hadn't been for you, I'd still be a hateful, self-centered troublemaker intent on making everyone's lives miserable."

I smiled faintly in response, rolling my eyes up good-naturedly. "I think that had more to do with _you_ wanting to change rather than _me_. I would've been fine with you saying please, thank you, and you're welcome." I paused to think, then added, "And you not rudely waking me up every day or using up my hot water would have been a nice bonus also."

He lightly laughed at that while shaking his head at himself. "Sorry, I guess I _was_ a handful."

"_Was_?" I asked in jest, squeezing his fingers. "I think we _both_ qualify for being each other's' handfuls." My smile dropped marginally as something else crossed my mind. "Would you have hit that guy if he hadn't knocked you out yesterday?"

Turbs sighed heavily, rubbing a thumb across the top of my fingers…funny how natural all this touchy-feely stuff is to us even though it was only last night that we both admitted our feelings. I guess that's how it's _supposed_ to be though.

"I don't know," he finally answered me with a helpless shrug. "Probably. Even though I know it's illegal for me to do that, I…I wouldn't be able to just stand idly by and watch someone go at you like that."

It made me sad knowing that he _wanted_ to protect me only that in doing so, he would end up in big huge trouble with The Mouse (and whoever else is in charge of Disney World alongside him). I know the saying is "It's the thought that counts" but I doubt that _thinking_ about protecting someone is as useful as actually _doing_ it_._

I tried to muster up a smile. "Well, I guess it's a good thing he knocked you out first then. I'd hate to be responsible for you getting in trouble."

"Wouldn't have been _your_ fault," he corrected me. "If someone's attacking you, it's not _your_ fault; it's _theirs_ because they _chose _to do it."

He winced and put a couple fingers up to where he had been hit yesterday. I had to admit, it looked _worse_ today, what with the bruising now showing up.

"You need one of your pills before we go? Might need to take one with us just in case."

"Yeah, that's fine, thanks," he responded, keeping his fingers against his head.

I got up to fix him a glass of ice water and then dumped a pill out of the bottle before going back to the balcony to hand it to him. Once done, I simply set the glass over to the side to get it out of the way, and then placed my hands in my lap.

"You know," I began with a wide grin. "We should _really _call my parents and let them know we're a couple now."

He jerked his head up so fast that he groaned in pain and held his hand back up to it to ease pressure. "Your _parents_?"

Oh, maybe I shouldn't have even suggested that. I bit my lip and looked down. When my parents first found out about Guy, he had gotten so _mad_ at me. They had told me that he was nothing but a manipulating, perverted old man that chased "little girls" (I had been eighteen and he had been…well, he was in early forties, let us say) and I had gotten rather insulted and defensive about being treated like a child. Guy had then told me (after refusing to talk to me for a week) that we could keep on seeing each other as long as I kept my mouth shut because my parents were the enemy and didn't care about my happiness and that all they cared about was keeping me under their thumb. Being the idiot naïve teenager I was, I bought into it and did exactly as he said. If only I'd listened to my parents, huh?

Of course _now_, I would really hate to have to live another lie and I think it'd be better to just go ahead and get it over with. "I just thought they'd like to know, is all…"

"Well, yeah of course they should_ know_," Turbs replied and I lifted my head back up to look at him. He smiled and gave my hand a little squeeze. "I just wasn't expecting to hear you say that, is all."

I smiled back, glad to hear that this wasn't going to be a repeat of the past. Hopefully my parents wouldn't go insane and try to "talk some sense" into me.

"I'm sorry about what I said too," I thought I should say while it was quiet. "I didn't really mean it when I said you belonged in prison…I just wanted to hurt you like I thought you did me."

"I know," he said back with a sigh. "I knew you were upset. I shouldn't have said what I said back to you either…about being lonely and miserable."

I gave him a half-smile. "Well, truthfully I _was_ lonely and miserable until you showed up. I'd be pretty upset if you went away _now_."

"Unless you throw me out, I'm not planning on going anywhere," he assured me with a smile of his own.

The alarm on his cell phone went off, which effectively killed the mood, and he had to dig around his pocket to pull it out so he could shut it off. "Race time!" he exclaimed happily, pinching at the jeans I had on. "Up and at 'em, blondie, don't want to have to fight for a parking spot!"

* * *

**DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY  
**

We're here! We finally made it to the race, the entire reason for this vacation. I didn't think we'd ever make it here. This place is _huge_, I tell you, and it's quite a sight to behold in person. It doesn't look that exciting on the television, but it looks_ awesome_ when you see it up close. I'm not even that interested in racing but just sitting down waiting for the race to start was making me jumpy. All these other people were sitting around us talking amongst themselves and there was all kinds of nervous excitement in the air.

"You do your homework?" Turbo smirked at me from my left.

"Uh…does flipping through the cards a few times count?" I asked him with a big guilty smile.

"You mean I went through all the trouble of making those cards for you and you only looked at them a few times?" He put a hand to his heart as if I'd hurt his feelings. "Gee, and here I am working so hard on those essays you make me do…not very fair, blondie."

I know he was playing with me, but I really did feel bad. "I remember _some_ stuff." I tapped my chin a few times to think. "Like, 'banking' is what the slope of the track's called and that all of them have a different angle to them. And 'marbles' is track debris…and 'stickers' are new tires…and-"

"Okay, okay," chuckled Turbs, patting me on the knee lightly. "I didn't expect you to remember them all anyway…though since you _didn't_, I think I should only have to do _one_ more essay."

I laughed at the reasoning but who am I to argue against it? "Fine, that's only fair. We can watch the rest for fun."

At last, the race began. Seeing all the cars lined up at the starting line with their shiny waxed coats and their engines roaring really was a cool thing to witness in reality. All the people around us were cheering as we waited for the moment when they would take off. Turbo grabbed at my sleeve so I'd look at where he was pointing at.

"There's Jeff Gordon!" he had to yell at me through all the noise. He moved his arm in another direction, "And Junior too!"

He was referring to Earnhardt Jr. for those of you that are unfamiliar with anything NASCAR related. Boy, he was like a kid on Christmas morning being in such close proximity to these two famous racers. This was probably the closest he'd ever get to them so I can't really blame him. Heck, sometimes I still have my little "fangirl" moments being next to the Turbs. Even if I _didn't_ have feelings for him, he'd still be my favorite Disney character after all.

Anyway….woo-hoo! They finally started! All the cars are racing around the track, some of them bumping into each other and attempting to get around each other. I cringed when a few got too close to the outer wall since from what few NASCAR races I've seen on television, that's where a lot of the accidents happen.

You know, I had thought that sitting here for _hours _while watching cars go around in a circle would be the most boring thing ever in the world to do, but actually sitting here watching it in person is pretty dang fun!

Then it happened.

The fun ended momentarily this one car (don't ask me who it was, I have no clue) that had been riding on the low line of the track (ha! I remembered another term!) suddenly veered off diagonally towards the outer wall and-

**_CRASH!_**

Holy crap! Why did he do that?! He just randomly drove out in front of all the other cars and slammed headfirst into the wall, taking out several other cars with him! He must have been having some problems or something, because no way would someone sanely pull a move like that. Everyone around us was all gasping and "oooh-ing" at the terrible sight as all those cars ended up getting messed up, some of them ending up in the grassy part that makes up the middle of the track.

I couldn't tell who all was involved but I heard Turbs saying, "Noooooo! Not Jeff!", so apparently he had been involved as well. Well, bummer, that stinks. I hope they're all okay.

Some idiots that were sitting close to me were _laughing_ about it, pointing excitedly towards the scene and saying stuff like "You see that?!" and "That was epic!", as if being in a car accident while driving 200 mph was the most hilarious thing ever. I hope Turbs didn't hear them, he'd probably start yelling at them or something and we'd wind up having _another_ hospital visit. Though to be honest, it _did_ aggravate me. Car accidents aren't funny. _Period._

Poor Turbs was visibly upset the rest of the race about his favorite racer's accident; he'd have his head hanging down in his hand, or he'd be slouching in his seat more than usual...I was kinda sad I couldn't do anything to cheer him up. I couldn't really tell who was who when the final lap finally came (which was hours later), but Turbs said it was Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart battling it out. I never heard of Johnson but I did recognize Tony Stewart's name anyway so I guess I was gonna root for him to win.

Ahh, another accident close to the end! It wasn't as bad as the first wreck but still, it made me cringe imagining being in one of those cars when they got hit. I've been in accidents before, and the thought of being in one at 200 mph was _scary_.

The crowd was going nuts around us...the cars were almost there...it was _so_ close...

Oh man, _another _wreck! Boy, these cars are getting wiped out tonight! And here comes the finish line...looks like the winner is...

"Ahhhhh, not Jimmie!" Turbo cried out in disgust, resting his head in his hands in defeat. "I can't believe I bought tickets to a race where _he_ won!"

Ooookay, I take it he's not a fan of that guy. He sat there for a few moments before getting up out of his seat and grabbing me up by the elbow.

"What's your problem?" I asked as he started directing me towards the end of the aisle, trying to ignore people getting mad at us for being in their way. "We came all this way to watch this thing and we're leaving before it's all the way over?"

"I am _not_ sticking around with all these Johnson fans while they celebrate," he growled lowly, grabbing my hand before stepping in front of me to push through a small gathering of people that were hanging out near the stairwell.

So much for this vacation having a happy ending to it. Turbs fumed about that race the entire way back to the condo (I drove back...never let a racer drive a car after he watches a race or he'll get _too_ excited). Don't get me wrong, I felt bad that he didn't have a good time and that of course his favorite racer didn't win, but I was getting sick of hearing about it. By the time we parked in the car garage, he'd settled down to simply keeping his arms crossed tight over his chest and glaring at whatever was in front of him.

I sighed heavily when I parked, shutting off the engine and turning to look at him. "Please tell me you're not going to be a grumpy butt about this all night."

He huffed and turned his head away from me. "I have every right to be upset."

"I _know_ but we're going home tomorrow," I reminded him in an exasperated tone, getting out of the car. "And I don't feel like dealing with you being all grouchy for 13 hours."

A groan escaped his throat at the very mention of driving back home. "Let's just go halfway there, spend the night somewhere, then finish up the next day. I don't know if I can survive another straight trip like that."

I rolled my eyes but I smiled when I did it. To be honest, I don't think I could survive another trip like that either. "Okay, fine." I pointed a finger at him. "But I don't want to hear any griping tonight."

He turned his head to look at me before getting out of the car also. "I don't know if I can promise _that," _he replied, shutting the car's door. He looked out past the garage and towards the ocean, which was illuminated by the moonlight.

I went over to him and took him by the hand, giving it a little squeeze before bumping him gently to the side so he'd start walking. It was almost midnight and there wasn't anybody else in the garage except for us; a smile played at the ends of my mouth and I glanced over at him, a tight feeling forming in my stomach.

"Will you shut up about it if I kiss you?"

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

KISS? Did she just say KISS?

What were we even talking about before? I...I literally remember nothing before she said that word.

She's smiling and her face looks red...oh holy codes, she really did say that! Swallowing hard, I stopped in my tracks and stared at her with what was mostly likely a mixture of fright and confusion since that's how I felt INSIDE. Phew, it suddenly got kinda warm in here, didn't it?

She stopped when I did, since we were holding hands and she moved to get in front of me. "What, you don't want one?" she asked with a little smile on her face. She's doing this on purpose, making me wig out over this.

"No, no!" I spat out, feeling shaky all of a sudden. I think I need some water. "I...I didn't say I didn't want one."

I felt my hand raise up to subconsciously run through my hair, cursing myself for being so nervous. I used to race cars at high speeds (still do, kinda), I've been eaten by a cybug, I got blown up in a volcano, and here I am scared to death of some little blonde chick just because she said K-I-S-S. What's WRONG with me?

* * *

**Blondie's POV**

I smirked lightly at him, taking a half-step closer. "What's the matter with _you_? I didn't think you were scared of anything...well, 'cept thunder maybe."

I'll be honest, I was scared myself. I've never been the one to have to initiate a First Kiss Sequence and I've certainly never kissed anyone that hasn't ever been kissed before. My heart was ramming in my chest, my blood roaring in my ears which sounded odd mixed in with the distant roar of the ocean waves. We were behind this tall square column that was used to help support the floor above us and it was kinda dark under here, his eyes glowing like a jar of fireflies in the summer.

"Who _me_? _Scared_?" He was grinning widely and I could see him shaking, which told me he was filled with both terror _and_ anticipation . "Nah, not me."

He's so adorable, trying to be the brave one. I took another half-step towards him and-

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

-I backed up right into this tall support structure thing that was behind me, leaving me nowhere to run. Not that I wanted to go anywhere. I mean, why would I want to run? Those big green eyes of hers were gazing right at me, the gold flecks that were in them burning bright into my soul. If I HAD a soul. Do we have souls? Wait, why am I even questioning that right now?

She reached her hands up slowly, wrapping them around my neck, and holy Walt I'm gonna have a heart attack or something. I could see in her eyes that she was being a bit hesitant, I guess because of that jerk ex of hers maybe. And I could feel her trembling too; I stiffly moved my arms to go around her, the two of us extremely close now. Good thing I'm not much taller than her, or this might be REALLY awkward to figure out. How do Fix-It and his wife do this? And why am I even thinking of them right now, who cares about them anyway?

And what if I do this wrong? What if I mess it up? That would be suck-tastic on an epic level.

I forced a swallow down and she leaned in closer, then-

* * *

**Blondie's POV**

I knew he was just about as scared as I was but one of us had to do _something_ or else we'd be standing here all night. Out of habit, I raised up on my toes just a bit though not too much since he's not that tall; my hands locked together behind his head, my fingers combing through his messy black hair. Gee, to think that I started this as a joke, and now here we are about to actually do it.

His eyes are really pretty when you look at them up close...imagine, I used to think they were creepy.

Tilting my head at a slight angle, I leaned myself forward just a tad more, closing my eyes and-

* * *

**_We kissed._**

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

It was really soft; somehow, I hadn't expected that. To be completely honest, I had feared that my inner villain would be repulsed by this act, but I was relieved to find that I liked it A LOT.

I inhaled sharply, since I hadn't breathed properly since this ordeal first started, and gave her one back while hugging her closer to me. She sighed gently and I felt her relax, which in turn made ME relax.

It was just so...so-

* * *

**Blondie's POV**

_-innocent._

I know the majority of the fandom depicts Turbo as being on the rough side when it comes to these sorts of activities, and that may have been true if we had done this not long after his arrival, but...this was surprisingly the most innocent, gentlest kiss I ever had. And shoot me, I even did the "leg pop" thing like Anne Hathaway does in _The Princess Diaries_.

If anyone had ever told me I'd be getting kissed by _THE Turbo_, I'd have laughed heartily at them; if they had further told me that he would be my boyfriend at the time, I might have been placing an anonymous call to the asylum in order to arrange someone to pick them up. Ha. Crazy how life works.

I pulled back from him, fluttering my eyes open to look in his, and gave him a little smile. "Well...you like?"

Turbs gave me a faint smile back, looking similar to a 'twitterpated' Bambi. "Uh-huh," he squeaked out, his face a little flush.

I suddenly felt bashful and I snuggled up closer to him, wrapping my arms tighter around him and resting my head in the crook of his neck. He sighed and rubbed my back slowly, resting his head against mine.

A big smile formed on my face as I felt both of our hearts racing in our chests. "I love you."

He squeezed me into a tighter hug, if that was possible. "Love you too."

I smiled so hard, my face hurt. I could've stayed like this _forever_. Unfortunately, we couldn't. _Sigh_. I gave him a quick cheek kiss before pulling back away from him, grabbing his hands and twisting around to walk forward, trailing him behind me. "I guess it worked."

I turned my head back over my shoulder to glance at him and he issued a befuddled look at me. "_What_ worked?"

Giggling lightly, I replied, "Making you quit griping about Jimmie Johnson. Remember?"

It finally dawned on him and he gave me a lop-sided grin. "Oh yeah...yeah it did work. You can use that trick anytime."

"Careful, I just might do it."

For future reference, "shut up-kisses" work very well on Turbos.

* * *

**The race we went to was the July 6th, 2013 race (Coca-Cola 400). It was the only Daytona race that took place around the same time that the fic takes place in, so I went with that one. Even though I really wanted one where Jeff Gordon won lol.  
**


	60. Family and Friends

_OriginalPrincess: lol yes I finally wrote a kiss scene! It took 59 chapters, but there it is! XD_

_apple: Kissing IS scary the first time you do it, and also everytime you kiss someone new but it's really fun ;) hehe. The Muscles question will be answered in time, like all the other questions ;) And yes, there's a cut scene on youtube somewhere with him flying around with his bow tie :D_

_betheleaf: *holds up a bucket to catch all the little hearts* Glad to make you THAT happy!_

_Ellie: Yes we FINALLY did it! XD Took us long enough, lol :P And for the Hero Pie story, yes, you are correct about the ending with the vanilla *evil laugh* _

_Race-It Roxie: Hehehe, yeah maybe he should, so I can shut Turbs up more ;) *giggles* And oh no! :( Of course I will pray for you *hugs* I hope things look up soon!  
_

_ShayCandyBar714: Yes, Basil is definitely awesome! He should've had a series :/ And yeah, unfortunately I decided to cut it down to one more movie review, because I'm seriously burnt out from doing them and would rather focus on the actual story. Plus I may or may not have him watch Wreck-It Ralph too, depends on how "he" feels about it. I feel kinda bad since I originally wanted to do all the animated movies but that's just not gonna happen. _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**Text Conversation with Bestie (Ferry Pass, Florida)**

Bestie: hello? u 2 get lost in the bermuda triangle? lol

Me: we weren't anywhere near that...but guess what? :)

Bestie: omg u told him

Me: yeah...he said he loves me 2 X3

Bestie: Awwwwww! X3 so happy! did u kiss? :P lol

Me: of course ;)

Bestie: whaaaaaaaat that was fast lol but yaaaaay :D

Me: XD i still can't believe it

Bestie: he better b the best bf ever or i'll kick his butt straight back to prison

Me: i think i got him trained pretty good by now lol

Bestie: yeah y'all went kinda backwards, u lived 2gether 1st THEN liked each other

Me: he's still sleepin on the couch u know

Bestie: yeah right

Me: he IS. i want a NORMAL r/ship this time

Bestie: i know, i was just playin...but srsly, no cuddles either?

Me: if we fall asleep WHILE cuddling, thats a different story :P

Bestie: hahaha :P does ur mom know?

Me: no...we're gonna stay the night in Jackson then go by there and get kitty...might tell them then.

Bestie: good luck, but yaaaay i'm so happy 4 u! XD

Me: thanx :D

* * *

I'd already known that my dad or brother wouldn't be home when we arrived at my parents' house that next day to collect Kitty, but that my mom and sister _would_ be. Something told me I'd rather tell my sister alone...or even have my dad and brother around first. _Anyone_ would be better than my mom, actually.

"We don't _have_ to drop the bomb on them right away," Turbo said in a hopeful tone. I knew he wasn't too keen on telling them since, let's face it, parents can be scary and mine are no exception.

I let out a frustrated sigh and ran my hand through my limp hair that I hadn't bothered fixing. "But I want to go ahead and get it _over_ with and not ever think about it again."

Truthfully, despite the brave front I was presenting, my stomach was feeling akin to a ship lost on the open sea during a raging storm; I have a feeling that I won't be getting warm congratulations in recently upgrading my relationship status. After all, my brother had told me last time we'd hung out that my parents thought Turbs was using me and had him painted out to be a lazy bum...which had been true back in the early months of him living with me.

My sister thankfully had been the one to open the front door to us and grant us entrance to the living area. Kitty pranced up to me with her tail high in the air, meowing loudly and purring while she rubbed my legs, going around them in circles and rubbing her head against me before moving on to Turbs. She always greets me like that when I've been gone for a long time. And people say cats have no personality. To that, I say, "Pfffbbt".

"Where's Momma?" was the first thing I asked once we got inside, while Turbs took a seat on the couch.

"She's fixing her hair in the back bathroom, so she might be a while coming up here," Sis informed me as she sat on the loveseat that was positioned in front of the couch. She was donning her typical "lazy day" outfit, consisting of a pair of pink shorts and a white tee shirt; any other occasion, she would look like she just stepped out of a magazine, the little show off.

I picked Kitty up off the floor and cradled her like an infant against my forearm while I rubbed her belly with the other hand, taking a seat beside Turbs. "Well, I guess you might as well know the news first, but-"

"We're _together_," Turbo finished for me, putting emphasis on 'together' so she would get the message loud and clear. Leave it to _him _to make the announcement short and sweet. For added bonus, he threw his arm around my shoulders, my face getting just a tad warm.

Now most people who have met my sister would say she was a tough, no-nonsense, rule-abiding stick in the mud...and they would right. _But_ there's this other side to her that clings to 'childish' things and loves Disney and fairy tales in general, not to mention being a secret hopeless romantic. She got the biggest smile on her face when she heard that and said,

"I'd had a feeling something was going to happen on that vacation...and it did!"

I smiled lightly in relief, replying, "I can only pray that Momma and Daddy take it as well as you did."

Kitty squeaked at me so I released her from my hold and she crawled over to Turbo so she could lay in his lap, curling her front paws underneath her chest.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh who cares what they think? They're fuddy-duddies and they don't even know Turbo that well." She gave him a playful glare. "If you do anything to hurt my sister, I won't hesitate to hurt you back."

Turbs smirked back. "_Oo_oo_ooh_, I'm _so_ scared." He got serious then, rubbing Kitty behind her ears. "But I _promise_ not to hurt your sister."

"You think Mickey Mouse should know?" Sis asked me next, the question stunning both me and Turbs simultaneously.

"Why should he?" we both wanted to know at the same time.

Sis blinked and sputtered out, "Oh well I thought he had to know _everything, _since technically he's like Turbo's warden or boss or something."

"He might be in control of Disney World, but he's _not_ my _boss_," he replied firmly, assumingly a little peeved at the very idea...not that I blame him. Besides, we had decided that if someone was trying to target us from Disney World, that it would be better if _none_ of those Disney folks knew about "us".

Okay, maybe not 'none' of them, since according to Turbo, Vanellope was already calling us a couple back when we visited the _Wreck-It Ralph_ movie-verse. Kids, they always call it when they see it.

"And he doesn't need to know about _everything_," Turbs continued, "Or else I'd send him a daily log sheet on how often I blow my nose in his honor."

I probably shouldn't have laughed but he said it so seriously, that I couldn't help it. My sister and I bust into giggles, scaring Kitty away and making her trot to the dining room, where she presumably went to nest on top of one of the chairs.

"What is so funny up here?"

I heard my mom's voice in the hallway and she finally appeared into view, staring at the lot of us, the giggles having died down instantly. She blinked a couple times and I realized Turbs still had his arm thrown over my shoulders. Whoops...so much for just _telling_ her...I think it's fairly obvious _now_ what the deal is between us. Without even thinking, I rested myself further against Turbo's side as if doing so were going to make me feel less threatened by my mom. In return, he curled his fingers up and rubbed them against my shoulder in what is normally deciphered as a soothing and/or affectionate gesture.

When my mom looked at us, I swear that even Satan felt a chill in his spine. My stomach twisted into a painful knot; it's not like I didn't expect this, but nevertheless it would've been nice for her to at least _pretend_ not having a problem with it.

After what felt like an eternity, Mom finally said, in an unmistakable aggravated tone, "I'm going to town now," and proceeded to stride out back of the house towards the garage entrance.

My mom is a hard person to please; I've tried all my life to make her proud of me, but it seems that no matter what I do, she prefers my siblings. If all three of us were to go out and do the exact same thing and live out identical lives, I guarantee you that she'd still prefer them over me. I don't know if I'm suffering from Oldest Child Syndrome and she expects more out of me because of that or _what_. But seeing her blatantly dismiss me like that really hurt. At least Daddy would pull me to the side and talk to me about it first before making any kind of grand reaction like _walking away angrily_.

She had to go through the dining room in order to get to the garage and I heard her saying "good-bye" to Kitty in her "baby talk" voice; I swear, she likes that cat more than she does_ me_. Somehow, though, hearing her talk to Kitty in a nice voice made me think that maybe she wasn't in _that_ bad of a mood. This crazy part of me said I should get up and say something before she leaves or otherwise I'll be developing stomach ulcers until the _next_ time I see and/or talk to her.

I hastily untangled myself from Turbs, not bothering to check either his or Sis's reactions to my unforeseen retreat, and I briskly made my way to the back of the house. My mom had just walked out into the garage, halfway shutting the door behind her (the dining room is the location of the garage door, FYI); I grabbed it before she could get it all the way shut and I forced the both of us out into the garage itself, shutting the door for myself.

"I don't want to talk right now," she snipped at me, not bothering to even look at me as she fished her keys from her purse.

Whatever was possessing me to act bold in front of my mother made me grab her by the wrist in order to stop her. I was shaking badly, feeling as if I wanted to puke right there on her leopard print blouse. "Momma, do you really think I'm so stupid or ignorant that I don't know what I've gotten myself into? I live with the guy, okay? I think I can tell if he's an okay guy or not by now."

She huffed in aggravation before directing her attention towards me. "You can do _better_. He doesn't even _work_. Never mind that he's not even _human_."

She punctuated each sentence with force to drive home how she felt. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck pricked and my own anger started to surface.

"Well, _you_ don't work either!" I barked at her. I hadn't meant to take things in this direction but dang it, I felt like she had insulted me. "All you do is lay around and watch TV and take care of the house while Daddy goes off and brings home the paycheck just so you can go blow it! So don't you even _dare_ start talking crap about someone else doing the exact same thing!"

Mom's eyes flared up, a good sign that she was about to erupt. "I stayed home to take care of you kids, you little _brat_!" she hollered in my face, pointing at herself angrily. "And _I'm_ the one who takes care of the bills, the groceries, and _everything else_ that gets done around here while your father is at work so don't you-"

"Don't _you _paint yourself up prettier just because you have 'us kids' to fall back on as an excuse! And Turbs acts more human than over half the 'humans' I know! And I can do _better_? What exactly do you call _better_? Please tell me, because so far he's the only person in general around here who even_ listens_ to me!"

She looked like she was going to say something else, but I beat her to the punch; when I get on a roll, I get on a _roll_.

"And if it hadn't been for him, I could've _died_ this weekend!" Picturing the whole scenario with Muscles made me tear up a bit, despite wanting to stay in a mad-as-heck mode. "I could've been beaten to a pulp if he hadn't shown up when he did so if you think you can find someone better than that, then you go right a-freakin-head!"

Mom finally looked like she was taken aback. I had hot angry tears rolling down my face and I was having a little trouble breathing after the shouting match I'd just had with her. My heart had turned into a jackhammer and I had the worst headache imaginable. And all Mom could do was just stare at me like she was in shock that I'd just gone off on her.

You know what, now _I_ don't want to talk about it. I bolted out of that garage faster than a jackrabbit being quarried, barreling through the house until I made it back to the living area. I didn't even speak, I simply looked at Turbo and pointed to the front door which was his cue to get up and go. Sis kept asking me what happened and what was wrong but I didn't even feel like talking to her. I strode to the 'Vette and got in the passenger seat, buckling up and slouching in the seat, covering my face with one hand.

Turbs, thankfully, knew by now not to bother talking to me when I'm like this. He was about to crank up the car when Sis called back to us from the front door, prompting me to shoot a sideways glance in that direction.

"You forgot Kitty!" she was yelling at us, before darting back inside.

Crap, I completely forgot that that was the whole point in coming here. What kind of cat-mother am I?

Turbs had been quiet in these last few moments, but he at last spoke up, asking me quietly, "You want me to talk to your mom? Might help calm her down."

I appreciated the gesture, I really did, but right now I just wanted to _leave_. "Turbs, you don't owe her anything, so let's just go home and go back to our normal everyday lives."

He didn't have much chance to add anything before Sis came out carrying a very distressed Kitty, having been forced to don her harness and leash. Sis came around to my side of the car to hand her to me, the irritated feline nestling herself between my thighs and swishing her tail about in a peeved manner.

"Don't worry about Momma," Sis told me in her authoritative voice that she uses on kids in the classroom (she's an elementary teacher). "She'll calm down and get used to it like everything else."

I exhaled audibly and nodded, waving my hand at Turbs to signal for him to drive away. _Sigh_. This is _not_ how I'd wanted to spend my first day back from vacation.

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

It was early in the afternoon when Blondie's Mom called; Blondie wasn't awake to answer it though since she'd been so wore out, she crashed in bed all day and was STILL out cold. I hesitantly took it upon myself to answer, hoping that Mom wouldn't scream at me. The huff that I received from the other end of the line insinuated that she didn't feel like talking to me.

_"Where is my child?"_

She sounded exhausted to be honest, rather than bitter or venomous like she had been earlier. I hadn't been able to hear exactly what had been said between them earlier; all I'd heard was muffled yelling.

"She's asleep," I answered her simply as I mindlessly began to pace back and forth in front of the couch. This is probably an odd thing for me to say, given my past, but Blondie's Mom IS a scary individual.

_"I just..."_ She sighed and then took her time finishing her statement. _"I just wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have argued with her. She's twenty-seven after all and has her own life, so she can do whatever she wants."_

I wasn't certain on how to respond. "You should...probably call back later..."

_"No, I want to get this over with,"_ she interrupted me hurriedly. _"I'm sorry I've been...judging you. I sort of had my mind made up and kept this image in my head that you were some hedonistic slacker."_

I don't know what 'hedonistic' means but I take it that it wasn't anything to brag about being.

_"She told me that you saved her,"_ Mom continued on, sounding like she was getting more uncomfortable as this dragged on. _"I don't know what happened and I'm not sure if I want to know, but whatever it was...thank you. She might not believe me, but I really do have her best interests at heart...I just come off a bit strong sometimes."_

The more she talked, the more I felt guilty being the one to hear all this instead of Blondie.

"Um...thanks," I said back, rubbing the back of my head as I continued to pace with the phone up to my ear. "But...shouldn't you be telling this to-"

Mom cut me off with a deep sigh. _"Sadly, even if I did tell her this, she wouldn't believe me anyway. She'd probably believe YOU over me. So...whatever it is you're doing, just keep doing it. She doesn't have any friends, except for that crazy chick she boarded with in college even though I think she's a bad influence sometimes, but ANYWAY I think I've said what I needed to say. Bye."_

She hung up before I could get another word out. I put the phone back on its holder (she had called the landline phone) and just stared at it for a while. I still felt like Blondie should've been the one to hear that...maybe I could tell her when she wakes up if she'll listen to me.

I know I don't have any real family to speak of, but I understand in the Real World that it's an important thing to have. I hate for her to be on the out-and-outs with her own mother, even if it is a chronic thing for them to battle it out over things.

* * *

**Blondie's POV**

I eventually got up so I could fix us some dinner, spaghetti and meatballs, and that's when the phone rang. Ugh, I hope it's not Mom. Turbs had told me already that she'd called earlier to apologize; I guess I accept it but it would've been nice for her to actually tell it to _me_ and not relay it as a message through someone else. She's so _difficult_ sometimes!

Since Turbo was outside doing something with his car, I think he was checking his air pressure or something, I had no choice but to abandon dinner for the time being and answer the phone myself. I groaned when I saw that it was from my parents' house and after letting it ring a few more times, I answered it, feeling sick to my stomach.

"Hello?"

_"Hey, darlin'_," my dad's pleasant voice said from the other side._ "Just callin' to check up on ya."_

I instantly felt relief at hearing Daddy's voice. I'd much rather have a conversation with _him_. He at least will let me say what I need to say and not scream at me about it.

"I'm fine, Daddy," I partially lied, going back to the kitchen so I could talk and babysit the food at the same time. "I guess you already heard about the drama today."

_"Yeah, your sister updated me when I got home. Your mother hadn't mentioned it, but I can tell it's bothering her."_

I huffed a bit. "If she felt _that_ bad, she could have at least apologized to _me_ and not ask Turbo to tell me that she did."

_"Darlin', your mother is very self-conscious. She worries about how you think about her just as much as you do."_

I wasn't sure if I believed that or not. "She isn't doing a very good job trying to make herself look great then."

He sighed in the phone, probably wishing that we'd all just get along. Sometimes he just chooses to stay out of the drama all together because he thinks it's silly. Which it is.

_"Just now that we both love you, baby girl. I worry about you all the time since you're not where I can check up on you."_

I smiled at the phone, leaning over to flip the meatballs over so they wouldn't burn on one side. "I love you too." I waited a beat before saying, "So...are you upset about me and Turbs?"

Daddy didn't say anything at first, then replied, _"As long as you're happy and he doesn't do anything to hurt you, I'm fine with it. Even though I wish he had a job, but what with this economy, that's understandable. Not to mention, I don't even know if he can get a job since he's not even a human but that's another story entirely."_

I had to laugh at that. "Yeah, not sure who all would hire him. Or what he could even _do_." I smiled as I stirred the noodles I had boiling in the pot. "Thanks, Daddy."

We said our good-byes and hung up. I felt a little better knowing at least _one_ parent was on good terms with me. Then again, Daddy was never one to be antagonistic with me anyway. _Sigh_. Sometimes I wonder if my mom and I will _ever_ get along.


	61. Long Live the King

_Ellie: lol yes, I get an email for every review/private message I get. Also, if you notice on the main page where the stories are, you'll see in red writing the word "reviews". You can click on that and you can read all the reviews for one story and sometimes I will check my own reviews that way if I don't feel like checking my email._

_ScorchyFox: Glad you like the story! XD Yes, I agree, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays so I MUST do a chapter for it when the time comes :D _

_apple: Yeah, my mom can be hard to deal with at times but she's pretty cool most of the time. Otherwise, I'd NEVER talk to her lol._

_Original Princess: *blinks in shock* Your OTP? *gasp* omg yaay! XD *hugs and squeezes you like a ragdoll* That's the ultimate compliment right there! *gives you loads of candy* I've been calling it Turblondie in my head but Tondie works too (and is shorter lol) And yeah, my parents are pretty much (in real life) exactly how I wrote them. Also my siblings too.  
_

_Guest: haha I'd never do that in real life, my momma (in reality) would've slapped me right across the face for that...though she would've cried and apologized about it. lol I try to proofread these things a few times before I post them, and then sometimes I read it AFTER I post it just to make sure. Ha, I think I'm one of the oldest people in this section to be honest, most everybody else is in junior high/high school/college :/_

_Race It Roxie: I'm glad your grandpa's doing better, hope his surgery goes well :) And yeah my dad tends to stay outta the drama because he thinks it's stupid lol, he's one of those people that will at least listen to the other side and have an adult conversation about it instead of just being a rude jerk and force his opinion down your throat and telling you you're stupid for thinking differently than him. And YEAH 60 chapters! Now, 61 lol. Unbelievable. _

_ShayCandyBar714: I don't have any clue how many chapters this will wind up being. Only time will tell! I'm surprised it made it to 60 to be honest lol. And if you decide to write a fic, let me know :)_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Well, here it is folks. My LAST homework assignment. I can't believe it's almost over. Not that I hated doing them or anything, I've actually grown to LIKE doing the darn things, but I can always watch the rest of these Disney movies and do my turbo-tastic commentary on them.

Blondie let me pick the movie so I dug around in her collection for a while until I came across a title that I fancied: _The Lion King_. It has the word "king" in it, so it must be pretty good. Can't go wrong with a movie about royalty!

Oh and Blondie's actually here at home, but she said she wasn't in the mood to watch this so she's in her room doing something on her laptop. Probably writing one of those fanfic things. She won't let me read them for some reason and that makes me both curious about the content and also kinda scared, because what if it's something BAD? Maybe I'll sneak on there sometime while she's gone. Hehe.

Okay, so we're starting this movie off with...HOLY CRAP, that dude randomly yelling gibberish at the sunrise just freaked me out! What's going on? Is he possessed? And all these different animals that I have NEVER in my life seen before are waking up and they all seem to be going towards something. Hm, like a trance. They're being called forth into yonder territory which can only mean something big is happening.

What's going on, you ask? Oh just a baby being born. Or rather, the baby's coronation, kinda like on that movie about the Sleeping Blondie. These two lions, who I'll assume are the king and queen, have this...awwww, what a cute little baby kitten!

Ugh...AHEM...I mean, oh look a kitten. How...fuzzy.

Okay there's this ugly monkey thing with face paint all over him and he's abusing this kitten by putting food on his fur and throwing dirt in his face. Yeah, that's really nice, now kids all over are going to be trying to rub Jello on their cats and getting them all nasty. Cats don't like being dirty, trust me, I know this because I live with one.

Oh and the parents of this kitten are just standing by and allowing Face Paint to abuse their child. Great message, Disney. So now Face Paint is taking the kitten to...the cliff. What? Holy crap, is he going to sacrifice him to some animal god and chunk him off? Is that why all these other animals showed up? I thought this was some coronation ceremony?

Oh wait, false alarm. It IS a coronation. He's lifting the kitten to the sky and all the other animals are celebrating their new future king, while the heavens open up and rays of sunlight beam down on this kid. Well gee, a little dramatic don't ya think? And...TITLE SCREEN.

Talk about a mood killer. All this crazy happy music about life and then BAM! A heart-stopping title screen.

Okay so now we're watching this black-haired skinny lion with a scar on his face giving a monologue to his dinner. Let me guess...HE'S THE VILLAIN. Why does everyone always make the villain so obvious?

Oh wait...haha, right, I'M the example of a nonobvious villain. Never mind.

Anyway, this bird that has a banana for a beak shows up and mentions something about the king whose name...Mustache? Muffalotto?...approaching to Scar Face, who only acts sarcastic about the whole thing. Obviously he isn't too fond of the king. Can't blame him, I mean earlier he was letting some monkey thing throw sand on his kid's face so maybe he isn't that great. And-

Haha, wait wait wait. Scar Face's real name is SCAR? They actually NAMED him that? Like, this guy's mom literally named him Scar? Gee, that's enough to SCAR him for life, HAHAHAHA!

So King Muffin (whatever) who...is related to Scar? Wait, these guys are BROTHERS? They look nothing alike! The king is all big and buff and handsome with flowy red hair. Scar is small, skinny, and black-haired. Huh...kinda like Thor and Loki actually.

What? I watch superhero movies. You guys don't see everything that I watch so just shut up.

Anyway, King Macho gets all upset with Loki Lion (pffffbt) and we get the following information: The kitten born (his name's Simba by the way) is now the new future king. Before he was born, Scar was going to be the king IF something were to happen to his brother. But that can't happen now because more than likely, Scar will be dead by the time Simba is able to assume the throne. And Scar isn't happy about it AT ALL.

Why doesn't he just leave this particular lion pride and join one that doesn't have a leader? If those even exist I mean. Why bother waiting around for your chance at the throne? I'd have packed up and left already. Or just kill the king but yeah right like they're going to let a villain actually kill someone in a Disney movie.

So now we cut to Face Paint doing some tree painting. And that's it. Ooookay. Weird.

All right, so time has passed and Simba is big enough to run around and get in trouble. He's your typical kid: loud, rude, annoying and talks too much. He makes King Macho get up and take him outside so they can get blinded by the sun on top of their cliff side home. The king mentions that everything the light touches is their kingdom. Wow, so basically...they rule everywhere? Or just as far as they can see from their cliff? He says that they do NOT rule, however, this place that is shrouded in the shadows close by where they live. So...who DOES rule there? No one? Why can't Scar just rule that place then. He seems like a guy that would slink around in shadows.

Anyway, King Macho takes Simba out for a stroll and he explains to him that everything in nature goes through a 'circle of life'. Like, in his example, things die then they turn into dirt where the grass grows to feed all the grass-eaters so that they will be able to provide food for meat-eaters, who also die and turn into grass. Did this movie just give me a science lesson? An after-school special hidden within a Disney movie? Go figure.

YAWN. This isn't that exciting so far. Just a lot of blah blah blah and people explaining things and yadda yadda yadda.

Okay so Banana Beak shows back up and starts giving King Macho a bunch of stupid updates about what the animals are doing (WHO CARES?) and they do us all a favor by making Simba pounce on him to shut him up. I think King Macho would rather be hanging out with his kid, which is a good thing. He seems like a good dad. I wonder if I'd be a good dad? Nah, the only thing I know what to do with them is brainwash them and try to kill them apparently.

Unfortunately, the father-son thing is over when Banana Beak gets the horrible news that hyenas are in the kingdom. I'm gonna guess that they aren't welcome there. Why? Because they're...well, hyenas? Are they THAT bad? Are lions racist? Or species-ist? What if a lion and a hyena fell in love? Would they be able to visit THEN?

So Simba is told that he can't tag along, much to his frustration and disappointment. Being a kid sounds like it sucks. Unless you're one of those _Sugar Rush_ kids and don't have to listen to adults or parents or anyone.

Out of boredom, Simba goes off to visit his uncle, the Scar guy. He obviously hates kids but Simba likes hanging out with him for some reason. I think if I had an uncle like this guy, I'd stay away from him. But Scar kinda pretends to not be bothered with him though he seems jealous and annoyed when Simba brags about being the next king and that he saw the entire kingdom. Scar then lets it slip that the one place that King Macho told him was not part of the kingdom and forbade him from visiting is an...ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD.

What the...how do the elephants get there? Do they all just know to go to this one place and die there so the savannah won't be littered with giant carcasses? Hang on a sec...

I paused the movie and got up from the couch to go towards the bedroom door. I tapped on it to see if it was safe to come in or not. Yeah, yeah, I know...I never had a problem barging in before and waking Blondie up by rudely poking her shoulder or kicking her bed but...well, it seems really weird to do that now. Besides, now that we ARE 'together', I feel more inclined to respect her privacy now. Might not make much sense, but that's how I feel.

I heard a faint girlish chuckle from inside and then, "You can come in, silly, I'm not gonna bite your head off."

"You USED to," I pointed out as I cracked open the door, seeing Blondie laying on her stomach with her laptop resting in front of her on the mattress. I'm telling you, one of these days I'm going to sneak on there and read what she writes.

"Whatcha need?" she asked, looking up at me and tucking some hair behind her ear.

"Do REAL elephants die in graveyards?"

She stared at me a moment, I suppose to think about it, then said, "No, they don't, it's just a myth." She shifted a bit so she could hug one of her pillows. "They DO mourn the deaths of other elephants though, and they visit graves and cover up their dead with branches like they are burying them. They do it to humans too sometimes when the opportunity arises. They're very emotional beings."

"Oh." DISNEY LIED TO ME AGAIN. "Too bad because it seems kinda like a cool place to stumble on."

She smiled and shook her head at me. "You at the part where they go to graveyard, I guess?"

WHAT?

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You're not supposed to tell me what happens!"

She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Sorry!" was the muffled response she gave. "I thought that's why you asked." She ducked her head down and slid her laptop to where it would be hiding her face. "Don't be mad."

She said it in such a cutesy way, I couldn't very well stay upset with her. Not that I was absolutely heartbroken that she spoiled something for me, but I suppose it would've nice to NOT be spoiled. Oh well, no big deal.

"No, it's fine, I probably could've guessed they'd go there anyway," I smiled at her, starting to back my face out of the door and close it. I gave her a little wave before I closed it completely. Geez, being in the Real World has really turned me into a dork.

Okay back to the movie.

So we left off with Scar telling Simba about an elephant graveyard and he also tells him not to tell anyone that he told him and to never go there because "only the bravest lions go there". Yeah, go ahead and bait the kid, knowing that he's a rambunctious tyke. Don't think I didn't catch that smirk he gave when Simba left. He WANTS him to go there because I bet something bad will happen.

It takes a villain to know one.

So now that he's got the idea in his head to go to the coolest place that this kingdom probably has, he runs off to go fetch his best friend, a little girl lion kitten named...what is with the names in this movie? I can't pronounce most of these. And her mom's giving her a freakin' bath on the TV, that's really something I wanted to see. Ha, but she seems pretty sassy so I like her. Anyway, Simba LIES TO HIS MOTHER and says that he wants to show Sassy the water hole, which is kinda like a pond where all the animals get water from.

But they get stuck going with Banana Beak because Simba's mom (AKA Queen...Salami?) says he has to be supervised. What, she doesn't trust the other animals in the kingdom to not stomp on this kid or something? Sheesh, even Vanellope doesn't have Sour Bill follow her around or even Ralph for that matter. Then again, those kids ARE designed to be self-sufficient without any adult supervision so I guess that's different.

Anyway, Simba tells Sassy that they have to get rid of Banana Beak somehow so they can go see the elephant graveyard. Rebellious little ones, aren't they? Banana Beak sees them whispering and he flies down to start talking this mushy stuff about how they're betrothed and that they'll be married someday and just how precious they are right now. Great, another betrothed couple storyline. Naturally being kids, they think the idea of marriage is gross and ESPECIALLY to each other because they're best friends. Ha, kids, what do THEY know? Me and Blondie are best friends and we love each other so what's the big deal? Let me guess, these two are going to grow up and fall in love anyway, like Sleeping Blondie and her prince did.

Holy crap, something exciting better happen in this movie soon because this is BORING.

Okay, so the two lion kids get rid of Banana Beak through this acid trip musical number and they escape towards the elephant graveyard. And it looks FREAKIN' AWESOME! This place is the perfect place to have all kinds of scary stuff happen! Too bad they don't really exist, I'd like to go see one.

But the fun ends rather quickly when Banana Beak flies back and tells them that they really need to get back to the kingdom. And...HAHA, Simba used my nickname for the bird! He actually just called him "banana beak" hahaha, oh man this kid is pretty cool. And I'm not sure if he's brave or stupid, because he has no problem getting himself into dangerous situations.

And DUN DUN DUN! We finally get to meet these hyenas that we heard about earlier and these guys pretty much have zero respect for lions and definitely no respect for royalty. What do you expect from a group of rogues? They don't have any kind of organized government like the rest of this universe does so, to them, Simba's fresh meat. And these guys are VICIOUS, holy cow they are really going after these guys! They blow up Banana Beak in this rocket geyser thing and they ALMOST catch Sassy except Simba goes back and claws one right in the face to get her back off. Awwww how sweet.

They run until they hit a dead end and that's when King Macho finally shows up. Turns out Banana Beak got blasted to wherever the king was (how convenient) and he ends up scaring the hyenas away because, even though they don't respect the royalty, they don't want to get eaten by this guy either.

King Macho is mad at EVERYONE by the way. He's upset at Simba for deliberately going against the rules of NOT going to the graveyard and he's also mad at Banana Beak for not keeping an eye out on them. Yeah, disobeying your dad is not a good idea...especially if he's a giant lion. But come on, Banana Beak got smashed underneath a rhino's butt earlier, it's not HIS fault that the kids got loose. Not very fair.

Oh and hanging out where no one can see him, is Scar looking down on the group with this evil/bored look on his face. Ha, I bet he was wishing those hyenas had gotten away with ripping those two kids into shreds. I KNEW he sent them there for a reason.

Anyway, Banana Beak takes Sassy home while King Macho has a chat with his son, who is feeling very very bad about what happened. His dad seems more disappointed now than mad and doesn't whoop his butt like I expected him too. Simba tells him that he was just trying to act brave like his dad because he thinks that kings aren't afraid of anything. Pffbt, well_ I_ was a king (sorta) and I was constantly afraid of Vanellope being able to reset the game, so I was one twitchy paranoid little dude. I even thought RALPH was trying to take over the game! Ha, that was so stupid of me. Imagine, Ralph trying to drive one of those karts.

King Macho tells Simba that being brave isn't hunting for danger on purpose and that also kings DO get afraid because HE got scared that Simba could've been killed. Awww, father-son fluffiness. Whatever. I can't have my own kids anyway so I don't get all this parent-child crap.

And for Walt's sake, there is way too much preaching in this thing. Now, King Macho is talking about the afterlife! Yeah, in this movie-verse, when you die you get turned into a star. That would kinda suck being a stupid star for the rest of eternity.

Geez, the only exciting thing to happen so far was the hyenas chasing the kids down!

All right, so we're back with the hyenas and they're griping about King Macho ruining their dinner plans when Scar of all people...lions...whatever, shows up and turns out that these guys are FRIENDS. How did THAT happen? Is it because they share a mutual hatred for the current organized government around here? Does Scar consider himself an outcast, like these hyenas?

Scar pretty states out right that he had wished for the kittens to be eaten and the hyenas mention that they WOULD have if King Macho hadn't shown up. One jokes about killing him and Scar takes him very seriously, saying that's "PRECISELY" what they should do. And then...wow, this guy is kinda creepy. He's singing about killing his brother AND nephew. That's...messed up. I mean, not that other villains aren't messed up in the head, but good gosh. He then makes the promise that when he usurps the throne, that the hyenas will never starve and paints the picture that life will be a utopia of sorts.

You know...this guy is scarily reminding me of myself. We both wanted a position of power, was jealous of those that HAD it, and had less-than-human ideas on how to achieve it. Technically speaking, I DID kill off the _RoadBlasters_ group and my own team mates...they don't even exist, they were simply nonsentient beings designed purely for a flashback. I can't even apologize for it. It seems stupid to feel bad for killing people that don't even exist, but now that I think about it...I'm already a murderer.

I feel sick...

And...I think I remember this dude from my stint at the rehab center. I seem to remember him moping about whining about how he wants to be included with his lion family and how he feels unworthy to be around them because of what he was scripted to do to them. I don't know what he did (but I'm about to find out) but...I'm getting a bad feeling about this.

I need to take a break for a second, sorry.

**TEN MINUTES LATER**

Sorry, I needed to clear my head for a moment. I'm fine now. AHEM.

So Scar takes Simba out on a field trip to the Grand Canyon and tells him to wait for him on this rock thing with a small tree growing out of it. He tells him that he will be bringing King Macho there also for a big surprise, telling Simba to wait there for them and to practice his roar in the meantime.

I'm not liking where this is going...

Scar leaves him there and then gives a signal to the hyenas who are up where some...cow things...are grazing. From what I can understand of their conversation, they're waiting for Scar to tell them when they can attack them. Oh boy...this can't be good.

Meanwhile, Simba is still down in the canyon and he starts doing this humorously weak roar at a beetle that happened along. He manages to do one that echoes and he looks pretty proud of himself...until he feels the ground shake...oh gosh, don't tell me...

Oh heck, the hyenas are chasing the cow things down into the canyon and they're gonna run the kid over! Run, kid, don't just stand there! Holy codes, this is bad.

Scar runs to where King Macho is surveying some territory with Banana Beak and informs him that there is a stampede in the valley where Simba was. Being the good father he is, he breaks out into a run and they finally make it to the canyon where Simba has crawled onto that little tree that I mentioned earlier, hanging on for dear life. Unfortunately, one of the cow things snaps the tree and he starts to fall.

Oh crap oh crap oh crap. King Macho bolts out and weaves his way through the stampede, getting knocked down a couple times and he FINALLY reaches his kid, catching him in mid-air right when he goes flying off that tree. Ahh I can't watch! This got dramatic too fast!

Oh man, King Macho is getting beat up out there! And Banana Beak was GOING to go get help but Scar slaps him into the wall of the canyon so he'll get knocked out, the jerk. Finally, Simba gets put in a safe spot near a big crack in the canyon wall but King Macho just can't catch a break. He keeps getting slammed by those stupid cow things. Don't they recognize their own king? I mean, they all showed up for his son's coronation, why aren't they recognizing him and just running him over like that?

King Macho finally gets to where he can freakin' CLIMB the canyon wall toward the top and Simba runs through that crack he was near so he can get up higher. Ahh come on, Macho Lion, I'm sorry I made fun of your preachy life lessons earlier, just get to the top already so I won't have a heart attack!

Scar meets him at the top, standing over him with the most bored, uncaring look on his face and...oh, OUCH, he just dug his claws right into Macho's paws and...holy Walt...he just...he just THREW him off! He...he threw him off...and just let him fall back into the stampede...and oh crap, Simba just saw him fall too.

I don't even know what to say. There's no way he survived that.

The stupid cow things finally leave and Simba goes back down to the canyon floor to hunt for his dad. And...oh heck, is that HIM? Oh my code, I can't...I can't believe it. I cannot believe they actually killed him. I never even dreamed that Disney would let a villain kill someone and...this guy did it. He murdered his brother...his BROTHER. These two grew up together for Walt's sake and...and it's like if Loki were to ever kill Thor...oh man, this is...

Oh no no no, don't have him snuggle with the dead dad! NO. NO. That is NOT okay. Do not show that!

This is for KIDS? KIDS actually sat in a theatre and watched THIS? How many of them had nightmares about one of their parents being murdered?

And now Scar shows up to survey the destruction he caused, not a hint of remorse on his face. And wait, he's blaming SIMBA? He didn't even do anything! The only reason he was even there is because YOU put him there!

Wait, and Simba believes him? He really thinks that he killed his dad? How does...why does he...

Hold up, hang on, I got it. Is it because Scar made him practice roaring? Does Simba think that little roar he made, the one that echoed, is what caused the stampede? Oh that is just...that is horrible! He's a little kid, and this molasses-hole is making him think he killed his dad! That's...that's really cruel, guys, taking advantage of that already emotionally depressed kid and making it worse.

And...and who am I to talk? I'm just as bad as this guy. I'm a serial killer who tried to kill a kid so I could maintain a false position of power. And I made it to where she was beat up and bullied everyday for fifteen years to make her lose her spirit. And then I go further to twist her best friend's arm into back-stabbing her by destroying her kart and throw in prison, THEN try to kill her again! Yeah, I tried to kill her three times that the movie showed. What kind of monster am I?

I know it was scripted but...that doesn't mean I don't feel bad for doing it.

Sorry, forgot the movie for a second.

Well...Simba now thinks he's responsible for his father's death and Scar puts it in his head that his mother will be upset with him and that he needs to run away, never to return. Afraid of punishment and facing his mom, he does just that. Scar commands the hyenas to go after him to kill him, unbeknownst to Simba of course and he barely escapes with his life, running away farther away from his home into who-knows-where. The hyenas decide to keep it a secret that they let him escape, thinking that if he ever DOES return, they'll just kill him THEN.

Wow...so he had his entire life stripped from him in like...five minutes time. He thinks he's a murderer and no longer has friends, family, a kingdom, a LIFE. And he's just a kid. Kinda like Vanellope was just a kid when I took her life from her. Treated like a criminal her entire life because someone (me) wanted what SHE rightfully had because I felt that I deserved it.

I paused the movie again, feeling downcast at all these thoughts running through my mind. Getting up, I trudged towards Blondie's bedroom door, tapping on it twice before just letting myself in. She had changed positions, sitting up with her back against the wall behind her bed, using some pillows to rest her back on and with her laptop sitting in her lap for once, letting it sit on a pillow so it wouldn't burn her legs. She glanced up at me and asked,

"What's wrong? You look like you been crying."

Had I? Had I been crying? Now that she mentioned it, my face did feel a little wet. I felt my throat swell up painfully and I didn't even say anything when I went to go lay down by her on my stomach, covering my head with my arms to block the light. Blondie didn't say anything at first but I heard her shift her laptop down off of her lap to move to the other side of her, then she ran her fingers gently through my hair. Call me a sap, but it feels nice when she does that.

"You got to the part where Mufasa dies, huh?" She sighed lightly, still petting my head. "I'm sorry, I thought it wouldn't bother you since it wasn't a bloody death."

"That's not why I'm upset," I said in this embarrassingly croaky voice, keeping my face hidden in my folded arms. "I'm a sociopathic serial killer. Even if it WAS scripted, it doesn't change anything. I still DID those things and my programmed personality had no problem with it."

"Turbs...I thought we already discussed all of this," she replied, using her firm yet gentle voice that she sometimes uses when trying to make a point. "It's not your fault, okay? The writers made you do that stuff."

I know she was right...Vanellope was the one who first explained to me fully about how the movies worked. She didn't even require me to apologize. But still...

"I think I should apologize."

I must've shocked her because her hand stopped petting me for a moment, instead resting it on the back of my neck. The only thing I could hear in the room was the faint hum of her laptop, until she spoke again.

"You...sure about that?"

My stomach felt like it was curling in on top of itself, that's how sick I felt. "I think I'll feel better if I do. Just so I don't have to worry about it anymore."

I sensed her leaning sideways towards me, and then plant a kiss on top of my head, her hand starting to rub me between my shoulder blades. "All right, if it'll make you feel better. Did you want to do it in person or call her?"

The idea of visiting that diabetes-inducing land was enough to make me shudder. Everybody else in the world might want to live in a world made entirely of candy but not me, not anymore.

"On the phone. I want to get it over with."

She chuckled at me, probably thinking that I said that just because I don't want to have to go to Disney World any sooner than I have to. Mickey had let me have two months off from probation visits, remember? I don't have to go until another couple weeks, so that's fine with me.

I better do this apology thing while I'm still up for it.

* * *

I called the number to Disney World from my cell; I had gone outside to do it because being inside the apartment was making me claustrophobic. I paced around in the side yard next to the building until finally I heard the options menu come up. I selected the option to speak to a certain character and that's when I heard the DOPIEST voice on the planet come up.

_"Hyuk! Welcome to the Call-A-Character Hotline!"_

I wrinkled my nose up when I heard this moron. "Who is this?"

_"Why, it's me! Goofy!"_

"Yeah, I agree, this is pretty goofy..."

The buffoon on the other end of the line did this weird chuckle-hiccup noise. _"No! That's my name! Goofy!"_

"That's your name?" I asked in disbelief. "Your REAL one?"

_"Hyuk, well garsh, I didn't know I had a FAKE one to give!"_

I facepalmed myself. "Look, I just need to talk to Vanellope, okay? This is of somewhat importance."

_"Huh, don't know any vanilla beans. You sure you said that name right?"_

I was slowly losing whatever patience I had when I first started this conversation. "Not VANILLA BEAN, you dolt! VA-NELL-O-PE. From the movie _Wreck-It-Ralph_!"

_"Oh, I remember that name now! Hang on a second, I'll get you hooked up."_

"Thank you," I hissed through my teeth, rubbing my free hand on my forehead where I felt a headache trying to surface.

_"You're welcome, Mr. Of Somewhat Importance."_

What...who IS this joker?!

"That's...not my name."

_"Then WHY did you tell me that!"_ the Goofy guy scolded me. _"You said 'this is Of Somewhat Importance'. I can't connect calls to sweet little girls if you're going to be rude and not give me a real name to use."_

Oh heaven help me, I'm about THIS close to jumping into this phone and beating this guy.

"FINE, this is Turbo."

_"Who?"_

I took the phone away from my ear and strangled it with my hands for a moment, then placed it back next to my ear. "I'm the villain of the movie! I'm calling her to apologize!"

_"Huh, I thought the villain was this old bald guy that threw candy at people."_

For the love of...

"This IS King Candy!" I shouted, throwing up my hand to the air in exasperation. "I'm just not in my disguise anymore!"

_"You don't sound nothin' like the guy. I think you're tryin' to trick me!"_

You have GOT to be kidding me! I mentally recited several curse words in my head and then prepared myself for ultimate humiliation, tacking on a fake silly grin to help get in the mood. I cannot BELIEVE I'm about to do this...

"Hoohoo, why thisth ISTH King Candy! Hello, my fellow Disthney character!"

The idiot laughed at me and I had to make myself not think of ways to murder this fool. I'm not a murderer anymore, that was all in the past. I'm a good person now. No more thinking ugly things about people.

_"Oh there you are, Mr. King Candy! Let me connect with you Miss Vanilla Bean!"_

"Vanellope," I corrected him, still using my silly voice by accident. I had to shake my head to get myself to quit talking like that. I would HATE to be stuck speaking that way for the rest of my life!

I heard the phone ring and then, _"Hey, President of Sugar Rush here! Make it snappy, I got things to do!"_

Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard. What on earth possessed people to hire a grown woman to voice a little nine-year-old anyway?

"Hey, Vanellope, it's...it's Turbo." I hope she wouldn't hang up on me.

_"Oh, hi, Turbutt!"_ she laughed happily. I could hear some static, kinda like the wind was blowing, so I guess she was outside. _"What's shakin', bacon?"_

Curse these kids and their weird slang.

"I just wanted to..." Ugh, this feels so weird doing this, but I knew it had to be done. "Say I was sorry...for all the crap I put you through."

I didn't hear anything but the static for a good while. At first I thought she hadn't heard me and she was still waiting on me to say something. Then, finally,

_"Oh...well...thanks, Turbo." _She sounded surprised, not that I can blame her_. "I mean, there wasn't any hard feelings anyway since it was all scripted but...yeah, that's really nice of you to say. Thanks, I appreciate it."_

I could hear the smile in her voice, not a trace of her usual sarcasm hidden anywhere in it. And wouldn't you know it, I actually DID feel better getting that off my chest.

I then heard, on her end of the line, a bunch of yelling that sounded like it was coming from not too far away. It was some British lady screaming orders at someone, so it wasn't Calhoun. "What's going on out there?"

_"Oh! Me and Ralph are flying around on this big air ship in Treasure Planet! The lady yelling is a captain and she looks like a cat-person! I think her and the Sarge would get along. Or maybe they wouldn't because they're so bossy. Anyways, I have to go before my reception gets cut off!"_

"Wait wait! I want to apologize to Ralph too!" Might as well while I'm in the mood for it. After all, I DID make him think that he had to stop Vanellope from racing, not to mention try to outright kill him as well.

_"Hang on!"_ She started yelling at him, which made my ear hurt because she didn't move the speaker away from her mouth first. _"HEY STINKBRAIN! TURBO WANTS TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU!"_

"OUCH!" I had to rub my ear a little to make it quit ringing.

_"He gave you a thumbs-up. And sorry to cut you off now but I really have to-"_

The signal got lost before she could finish so I just hung up. I sighed and looked up at the sky, which was a cloudless blue today. Huh, I DO actually feel better having said that, even though I didn't have to. Who would've guessed?

I went back inside and Blondie had gotten up to get herself a Pepsi from the fridge, popping the tab and sipping it a couple times. "Well, did it go okay? Feel better?"

I nodded at her, smiling lightly. "Yeah, I'm okay now. What are you doing in there anyway?" I nodded my head towards her room and gave her a big grin. "Writing about me?"

She rolled her eyes and turned her face from me, but I caught the little smile on her face. "No, I'm on Tumblr. Go finish your movie," she said, looking at me from the corner of her eye and sticking her tongue out before disappearing into her sanctuary. Ha, she's such a brat sometimes.

Okay so after that long unexpected intermission, we are getting BACK TO THE MOVIE.

Fine so Scar has taken over the kingdom by informing the other lions that Simba and King Macho are dead (only he doesn't know that Simba is really alive) and he proposes that they combine forces with the hyenas, much to the horror of the lions. It doesn't help that about a hundred of those laughing freaks are suddenly invading the territory so yeah I think I'd be horrified too.

You know, this guy is pretty dang smart. He planned all of this and he actually SUCCEEDS. He got away with it. Kinda like how I got away with doing what I did for YEARS and no one suspected a dang thing. Just like no one is suspecting what Scar did. Geez, we're eerily alike, it's creepy.

ANYWAY, where is Simba exactly? Last we saw, he was running for his life away from the kingdom. Well it turns out that he is...dead? Oh come on, not him too! He's laying in this parched desert getting eaten by buzzards! Dude, no, not cool!

Wait..whaaaat? What am I watching now? It's a...weasel riding a tusked pig. I can't make this up. And they just successfully freaked the buzzards out by running straight into them and screaming like banshees at them. Ohhhh these must "comic relief" characters...well, granted, I'm sure the kids that are watching this need a couple of clowns to cheer them up but, dear Walt, I'm already annoyed with them!

They find our child hero and it turns out that he IS still alive, just passed out from exhaustion. Weasel wants to leave him there to die since he's a lion and weasels and pigs are listed on a lion's menu. Tusked Pig disagrees, saying that since he's a kitten that he can't harm them and that he also wants to keep him as a pet.

A PET? REALLY? You want to keep a creature that can talk, think, and reason just as well as you do as a PET? Seems degrading, doesn't it? Weasel tells him that he won't be a kitten forever and that he'll grow up to be big enough to hurt them. Tusked Pig retorts that by the time he DOES get bigger, he'll be on 'their' side, meaning that he'll be their bodyguard.

Yeah...

So these two idiots, who were about to leave this kid outside to die, decide to adopt him as their 'pet' and keep him around in the hopes that one day he will be useful to them. Wow, that is just...SELFISH. They don't care about him at all, they just want to have a bodyguard to protect their lazy bums from getting killed by others!

Is this movie being serious? What kind of moral is that? "Do others a favor only if they can grant you one in return"? That is a load of CRAP. If they had been decent, kind-hearted people, they would've had no issue in saving him in the first place regardless of his species or whether or not he could pay them back one day.

So anyway, they carry Simba to this tropical jungle...where the heck did a jungle come from? How weird that it's right by a desert...whatever. They wake him up and Simba, who is still depressed, initially doesn't seem interested in being around them and just wants to be alone. After being pestered, he claims he cannot return home because he did something really bad and doesn't want to talk about it. Weasel and Tusked Pig deduce that he is simply an outcast like they are, having been assumingly kicked out of their own families...probably for being selfish annoying jerks.

They tell him that if he doesn't want to be haunted by his past anymore, that he has to learn to forget about it and just live for himself, basically being a lazy bum like they are and act like jungle hippies. They even make him learn to eat bugs! YUCK. And...okay, we're watching him grow up in like 5 seconds and I'm sorry but I refuse to believe that a lion who was raised on bugs could grow up and look THAT healthy. He has flowy red hair and muscles now, kinda like his dad but a little smaller because he's still young.

But he looks happy anyway, going around having the bum life, so...I GUESS it's good that he's happy but at the same time, running from the past isn't going to make you feel better. Burying your real feelings behind a mask like that isn't good for you...trust me, I know. I'm fairly sure that something's going to happen to make him face the past again and it's not going to be pretty because he's been avoiding it so long.

Right, so this is fun and all but what happened to-HOLY CRAP. The kingdom is a MESS. Scar's the laziest king ever! He just lazes around all day and plays stupid singing games with Banana Beak, who he keeps locked up in a skeleton cage. Oh and speaking his brother's name is forbidden now, for whatever reason. The hyenas show up and they don't look too happy, saying that there isn't enough food or water and that the hunting party (the chick lions) won't go hunt. So looks like all those promises Scar made to them about living in a utopia didn't live up to their hype. He probably killed everything in the kingdom to feed those starving hyenas of his and let the place rot. He doesn't even care about the place, all he wanted was the TITLE of king.

Geez, at least when I was in charge, I didn't let the place fall into despair, I kept _Sugar Rush_ up and running and everyone for the most part was happy. Or at least they seemed that way anyway. Well, Vanellope wasn't happy but...NEVER MIND. The point is that I didn't just sit around and do nothing and let the place fall apart, I really did work hard to make sure that place stayed in good shape, so THERE.

Back to the jungle, Simba is lazing around with his "friends" and they're looking at the stars. Weasel and Tusked Pig tell their theories as to what stars are...and seriously, dead fireflies? Gimme a break. Anyway, Simba decides to tell the story that King Macho told him when he was a kid about how when you die, you become a star. The other two make fun of his story, apparently not knowing that this was a shared moment of bonding with his dad and Simba tries to laugh it off only to get upset and leave.

Gee, this is sad, he's all grown up and despite his cheerful lifestyle, he still can't get rid of the pain. Dude, you need to FACE THE PAST. That's the only way to ease it. TRUST ME.

He goes to a little hillside to look at the stars by himself, looking pretty depressed, and he collapses into some grass which carries a bunch of seeds in the wind. And guess what? The seeds make it all the freakin' way to back to Face Paint's home. Yeah, bet you forgot about him didn't you? Go figure, how convenient is it that they happen to float by his treehouse?

Face Paint gets it in his head to do some mixing in a bowl with the seeds and somehow manages to deduce that Simba is alive. Yeah...how is that possible? That doesn't even make sense. ANYWAY, so now we're back to the jungle with Weasel and Tusked Pig and the latter of the two gets distracted by a bug and he wanders off to go find it. That's when HOLY CRAP! This chick lion shows up and boy does she look SCARY. She has her teeth bared all the way, her claws are out, and she is downright freaky looking. Weasel tries to help Tusked Pig, but of course is completely useless. Maybe she'll kill them and put them out of my misery.

CRAP, Simba just HAD to show up and save the day, didn't he? Though it is kinda cool to see him actually doing something lion-ish instead of laying around being a depressed bum. Oh, and don't think I didn't hear Weasel say to Tusked Pig, "Told ya he'd come in handy."...see, they were just being nice and keeping him around just so that one day he could be useful to them and save their stupid lazy butts. SELFISH JERKS.

Anyway, since Simba's not exactly accustomed to fighting, he gets his butt handed to him and he then recognizes the chick lion as his old friend, Sassy, because of a fighting trick she used. Ha, Sassy! Long time, no see! Needless to say, she's rather baffled as to how he knows her since she doesn't recognize him, and even more confused when he tells her his name. But that doesn't last long, the two of them get really excited and start chatting it up pretty quick until stupid Weasel shows up and interrupts them demanding to know what is going on between them.

Man, if someone interrupted a reunion between me and Blondie (should we ever get separated for a long period of time, which I hope never happens) I'd pop them right in the jaw...except I can't because of the whole stupid rule thing, but you know what I mean.

So what happens now is that Weasel and Tusked Pig find out from Sassy that Simba is a king, much to Simba's dismay because he is unable to return to his home due to his "crimes". He still doesn't want to tell anyone about it, it seems, not that I can blame him. Thankfully, Idiots One and Two are dismissed by Simba so that he and Sassy can spend time together by themselves and catch up, but they don't look too happy about it. Come on, I'd rather hang out with a hot chick too than those two clowns any day.

Aww, the two kids missed each other and have a little cuddle. Cuddles are fun...hey don't laugh, you're just jealous because YOU don't get cuddles. Hmph.

Cue the "falling in love" montage. Aww...but poor Simba doesn't want to tell her the past because he thinks she'll reject him. Yet Sassy isn't stupid, she knows something's up with him but oh well they have a lovely frolic in the night jungle anyway.

And of course, Weasel is going to get all ticked about this because he thinks Sassy is going to steal Simba away from them. Geez, these guys get on my freakin' nerves. Just let the guy be happy. If you were his real friends, you'd let him live his life the way he wants and be happy for him instead of acting depressed that he might leave.

Okay, so now Simba is telling Sassy that he left because he felt restrained from his royal lifestyle and that he needed to get away from it and find his own life. That's a total lie but she does buy it, so whatever. She tells him that he HAS to return because Scar ran the kingdom into the ground and that there's no food or water and that soon everyone will starve. He is still worried about his secret getting let out and continues to refuse her request, much to her confusion and annoyance.

Oh no, they're having a big fight now! Simba pretty much wants to be left alone and stay out of the drama, while Sassy of course doesn't get what his problem is and keeps asking him to live up to his name and do something to help out. So great, after that lovely love montage, they're both ticked at each other (well, SHE'S mostly disappointed) and they split up. Simba, goes off to a field and has a breakdown of sorts, blaming himself for his dad not being around to advise him on what to do anymore.

Gah, I feel so bad for this dude. He used to be such a happy little kid, and now he's this depressed confused young adult. All because some jerk off lied to him. I wonder if Vanellope was much different than she is now before I took over? I don't really have firm memories of that time so I have no idea if she was completely different than she is now. Maybe she'd be less sarcastic, I dunno.

Oh and remember Face Paint? Somehow, conveniently, he shows up and does this crazy monkey stuff to annoy Simba with, then runs off as soon as he mentions his dad's name. So Simba chases after this guy, who also tells him that his dad is alive, and leads him on a merry chase through the jungle and leads him to a small pond and tells him that his dad is in there. Um...okay?

Ha, Simba has the same reaction, albeit more disappointed because he actually kinda believed it. Face Paint says to look harder at his reflection and he will see his dad in there inside of him. Gee, that sounds pretty dang sappy, doesn't...whoa, what is going on? Whaaaaaaat?

It's King Macho! No way! Well, sort of. He's a cloud. Literally. Yeah, turns out that whole "turn into a star after you die" gig is real. He's coming out of the sky in cloud form and tells Simba that he needs to basically snap out of his funk and live out his destiny, being king, and be himself again. Gee, Dad, why didn't you tell him that a long time ago? I mean, yeah this is touching and all, but dude seriously did you just sit up there and watch your kid be depressed this whole time?

Well, anyway, Simba knows his dad is right and that he needs to man up (lion up?) and fulfill his obligations as king, but AGAIN there's that whole deal about being afraid to face his past. So what does Face Paint do? Bonks him on the head! Gee, still up to his abusive ways I see. Even Simba's confused!

Oh wait, he actually had a point this time. Basically, "Yeah it hurts, and it'll always hurt, but it's in the past. And you can either learn from it or run away". That's...pretty philosophical. And a face-painted monkey is the one who said it. Go figure.

SIGH. Well, I guess that could apply to me too. The stuff I did hurts me as well as everyone else but we all learned from it so history wouldn't repeat itself. And of course I know better than to do that stuff anymore. Not to mention, it's really nice being forgiven, that's a really amazing feeling.

Oh right, the movie. Okay, long story short, everybody ends up back in the kingdom...ugh, including the weasel and the pig. Crap, I thought they'd have stayed in the jungle. Anyhow, Simba gets his first look at his ancestral home in who knows how long and DANG is it bad. I mean, this place is dark, shriveled up, and downright barren. There is NOTHING. Boy, those hyenas really ransacked this place.

Kinda weird that once Scar took over, the water disappeared too, I mean did the sky refuse to rain when he took over?

Okay, so the group has a plan now. Simba's going to go deal with Scar, Sassy's going to find his mom, and Weasel and Tusked Pig are going to be...hehe, live bait. YES, maybe the hyenas will EAT THEM.

Wait...the HULA? How do...how do they know what the hula dance even IS? They are animals living in AFRICA! They should be doing some native African dance! That is...so stupid. Thanks for ruining the drama, movie. Hyenas, please eat them.

Okay, so the hyenas are out of the way, or some of them anyway, and Simba hears Scar calling for Simba's mom, Queen Salami. Salami isn't a queen anymore though, she's simply the head lion chick and I guess the leader of the hunting party. They get into this tense discussion about how there's no food, all the herds have moved away, and that it would be best to leave. Heck yeah, I'd leave too. But Scar is dead set on keeping this kingdom that he worked so hard to get and he demands that everyone stay there even if they all DIE.

Right, okay, even _I _didn't want the Sugar Rush people to die...well, except Vanellope, but she was the exception...but if something had ever happened to get our game unplugged, I would've kept up the king act long enough to get everyone out of there, then "died" again and started over somewhere else. "King Candy" would've been remembered as being a nice, cool old guy that cared about his people.

Uh-oh, Salami said King MAcho's name and Scar just BAM! He slapped her so hard she flew to the other side of the little cliff side clearing they're on! Good grief, that looked like it hurt! Needless to say, Simba gets MAD and he finally steps into stop all of this, making everyone freak out because they all think he's King Macho. Hehe, yeah that's right, not so tough now are ya, Scar?

But of course, Simba corrects them and says who he really is, Scar now pretending to be his "nice old uncle" again. Pffbt. The other lions show up and say that they don't think of Scar as the king, which is true, and Scar starts doing exactly what Simba was afraid of: hinting around at his 'secret'. Scar insists that they should all know the truth about King Macho's death and Simba tells everyone that HE killed him, much to everyone's shock. Oh come on, you guys really think that little kid really killed a giant lion?

Great, Scar's being mean to Simba now, saying that he's a murderer and that he deserves punishment and starts making him walk off the side of the cliff, beating it into his head that he's in 'trouble' and that everyone knows what a terrible person he is. Gee, like this kid isn't messed up in the head as it is, now he's REALLY going to be. As fate would have it, Simba ends up clinging to the side of the cliff that the lions all live on, which is also where his little coronation service was held, and right when Scar's about to kill him (in the same way he killed his dad, no less), he whispers in his ear that HE was actually the one to kill his dad.

Oh man, talk about kicking a guy when he's down! He spent his whole life running away from a lie, just now got up the courage to own up to it, gets scolded for it, and now finds out that it WAS a lie and that the guy who fed it to him was the guy responsible! That would really mess me up. I'm glad Vanellope didn't get too mentally screwed up when she found out that the guy that was her game's ruler was a fraud that was responsible for ruining her life in more ways than one.

But I bet Scar wasn't expecting Simba to get all angry and LEAP UP AND SMACK HIM TO THE GROUND! Heck yeah! That's showing him, kid! He starts strangling this dude the best that a lion can do and he forces him to admit the truth in front of everyone, and immediately a grand lion vs. hyena war breaks out!

To think, I thought this was going to be a boring movie at first. I stand corrected.

Ha, even Face Paint pulls some karate moves! And Tusked Pig does that thing he did with those buzzards earlier in the movie by running straight into some hyenas. I guess I'd be a little scared if a pig with giant teeth ran after me.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention there's FIRE everywhere! Oh and there goes Scar trying to sneak off and avoid the whole mess that he started but good thing Simba sees him and goes after him. Yeah, time for a beatdown! Scar starts trying to pin blame on the hyenas, saying that they were the true enemy, and he gets overheard by the main three that we've been seeing throughout the film. Yeah, not a good idea to turn your only supporters into scapegoats, you dummy. Imagine if I'd blamed Sour Bill for my crimes. That wouldn't have been very cool of me.

I wonder how Sour Bill's doing actually, I hadn't seen him in forever.

Anyway, Scar starts acting like this pathetic weakling and begs Simba not to kill him, when to be honest he SHOULD. But Simba's not like that, he tells him the exact same thing that he told him when he was a kitten, and that is to run away and never return. Hehe, that's pretty awesome.

Oh no, fake out! Scar pulls a cheap move and attacks the kid by blinding him with these fire-hot pebbles and then jumping him. That's cheating! But Simba wins! He throws Scar off the cliff side and he lands in this lower section where all the hyenas are congregated, and they call him out for backstabbing them and telling Simba that THEY were the enemy and...holy crap, are they EATING him? Did they seriously just eat the guy alive? That's...gruesome. At least they didn't show it...

You know, they don't usually show the villains' deaths that I've noticed anyway. They usually cut away right before it happens. Except with me, they actually SHOW it. I mean, I didn't watch it for myself but Blondie told me that they do show it, I guess so people won't get the idea that I survived somehow. I wonder who else's death they show in its entirety?

Oh well, the battle is over and the rain comes down to put out the fire. Face Paint motions to Simba to go up on the cliff side, implying that he needs to step up and accept his new kingly status in an official manner. Oh man, this is so epic! His dad even kinda shows up, or at least it's implied that he's watching.

This is kinda like when I died and Vanellope took back her kingdom too, only the difference is that she didn't remember being princess and Simba DID know about his past so it's kinda the same but not really.

Man, this is just the happiest ending ever. The kid gets his kingdom back, everyone's back and happy the way it should be, and him and Sassy have their own kitten!

So it starts the same way it ended...that's really cool, actually. I hope Simba Junior doesn't have any issues when he gets big. I mean, obviously it's a boy, just look at it. It looks just like Simba did when he was a kitten.

Well, that's it, I finished the movie. I think that was the best one I've seen so far. I saw a lot of my own movie tucked away in there so it really spoke to me.

Geez, I can't believe this is my last homework essay. But watch, I bet Blondie still makes me do one as some kind of weird punishment thing.

Speaking of her, she just walked out of her room, stretching out her arms and back some. "You finish it?"

"Yeah, I did." I turned around on the couch so my arms would be resting on the back of it. "I think this is my favorite so far."

She smiled. "That one's REALLY popular. The sequel isn't bad either, the one about Simba's daughter."

I furrowed my brow when she said that. "You mean 'son'."

She blinked at me, crossing her arms lazily in front of her. "No, it's his daughter. Her name's Kiara."

I stared at her for another moment and then rested my forehead down against the back of the couch, looking downwards. "Dang it, I wanted him to have a son! That kitten looks just like a boy kitten at the end!"

She chuckled at me and replied, "Yeah, a lot of people think that it IS a boy because in the sequel, the LION CUB that they show looks like more like a female because of the coloring. Plus there were some books made about Simba's son named Kopa but since he never appeared in a movie, people theorize that he got killed, but that's a whole 'nother story that gets tied in with the sequel."

Well, gee, THAT'S depressing.

"Okay, I don't want to think about that poor guy being tormented with the death of his kid, so forget I said anything."

"Aww, you sentimental sap," she cooed at me, coming over to run her hands in my hair again. "Come on, let's go get chocolate milkshakes. We hadn't done that in a while."

She always knows the right thing to say, don't she?

* * *

**Phew, that was longer than I planned it to be! Coming up...more Disney villains ;)**


	62. Shadow of a Doubt, Part One

**Holy codes, 800 reviews! *faints* I am continually astounded at how many people like this story, but I am certainly glad that you all do! *gathers you all up in a big hug***

_Race It Roxie: I hope your grandpa is doing better :( doctors can be a mess to deal with, that's for sure. _

_Original Princess: haha, I do rather enjoy coming up with nicknames for people since he's too lazy to remember anyone's REAL name. _

_Ellie: I love villains too X3 And oh wow, well glad I did a movie that you knew already then! _

_apple: lol I'll admit, I'm not a fan of Timon or Pumbaa at all. Not even when I was kid. Everybody else liked them but me lol. I just really like Simba to be honest. _

_betheleaf: Thor and Loki are awesome :) I am very behind on my trailer viewing unfortunately. And yes, he loves all the Avengers movies ;)_

_Guest: Haha! That's actually a pretty interesting, unique theory you got there! ;) But no, not in this case. I don't know who Guy would be either if he were a Disney character in disguise. But yeah, you get bonus points for being very creative! And yes, I love Randall too X3 _

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"I don't want to go in there!"

I shushed Turbo up a bit harshly, and then shot a look over at Mickey to visually tell him to give us a moment alone. The Mouse was already standing a few feet away from us but he excused himself to go visit the small coffee machine that was further down the hall. I grabbed Turbs by the arm and dragged him to the side with me, getting a little closer to him so I could talk lower.

"Look, I know you don't want to be around the other villains, but you don't have much choice here."

The door thankfully that we were in front of was closed so that the aforementioned "other villains" weren't able to hear us. As soon as we arrived in Disney World today, we were informed that all the Disney Villains were having their big meeting regarding plans surrounding the annual Villains' Ball. I had completely forgotten about that flyer I had found pinned to a local bulletin board several months ago and needless to say Turbo didn't want any more part of it _now_ than he did _then_.

Turbo's arms were crossed tightly over his chest, his shoulders bunched up and his head down, looking rather peeved at the scenario he was in. He kept glaring down the hall at Mickey, surely blaming him for this predicament.

"They all hate me," he muttered bitterly through his clenched teeth. "No one wants me in there so why make me?"

I forced a breath out, glancing down the hall at Mickey for a moment, before getting closer to him and just barely wrapping my arms around his shoulders; it wouldn't have looked like a hug to a stranger, which is what I was going for since we were still going along with the decision to keep this upgraded relationship of ours a secret from Disney folks for right now. Besides, it's hard to hug someone properly when they have their arms crossed.

"Turbs, no one hates you," I whispered close to his ear. "It's just that you're never here so they don't _know_ you."

He scoffed at that, still noticeably tense about all this. "I don't _want_ them knowing me and I don't want to know them either. Life's crowded enough as it is."

I pulled back a little, feeling hurt by that. He picked his eyes up to look at me when I did that, his face softening up. "I didn't mean _you_."

A faint smile formed on my lips, and I gave his shoulders a little squeeze. "I know…but you still have to go in there."

I nodded my head towards the door, which bore a sign reading, "Annual Villains' Ball Meeting: DISNEY Villains Only! (aka NO Pixar Villains!) Henchpeople Allowed at Maleficent's Discretion". Ha, I guess villainous sidekicks have to have special permission, since these days it's somewhat common for them to switch over to the good side within the movie.

I have no idea why the Pixar Villains aren't invited to this thing, seeing as how they're all allowed to co-habitat with the normal Disney residents, not to mention I've seen a couple of them floating around in the Rehab Center also. I hadn't seen any of them today though, I guess because of this meeting taking place.

Turbo sighed deeply, his shoulders relaxing down in the process. "Fine. But I'm not gonna like it."

I cocked a smile at him. "I didn't say you _had_ to enjoy it, just go in. And who knows," I shrugged, "maybe they're not that bad. They're all here for a reason too, you know, and surely this place had helped _some_ of them with their issues."

"If this place helps people the same way they helped _me_, then these guys are probably more messed up than they were to begin with," he replied to me quietly.

I chuckled and gave him a quick hug before Mickey could see it. After releasing him, I gave him a little shove towards the door. He issued a playful glare in my direction, then hesitantly opened the door and disappeared into the room, the door shutting remarkably fast behind him.

I let out a breath that I'd been holding in since I found out he had to go inside a room full of other Disney Villains. I knew that during his short time socializing (or rather, _not_ socializing) with them, that he had made a few enemies here what with his troublemaking ways. Hopefully, bygones would be bygones.

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

As soon as I entered the room, some really tall guy in this stupid purple outfit and a feathered hat grabbed me and pulled me to the side. He had this greasy black ponytail and beard, plus tiny eyes that didn't match his somewhat large frame. In the hand that did NOT pull me to him, he had what looked like a feather with a little pen attached to the end.

"Name?" he asked me in a snooty voice, not even really looking at me.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that he wore a little name tag stuck his dumb costume: Radcliffe. Huh, wonder what movie HE'S from.

"Turbo," I answered him and, without even looking at me, he scribbled my name down on a name tag. He peeled the backing off of it and then slapped it onto the left upper part of my racing suit. I pulled my suit away from me a bit so I could read it and found that this Radcliffe guy writes in really fancy cursive font. Strange.

"Go take your assigned seat," he stated to me, still not bothering to look at me as he picked up a cup of tea that he had sitting on a stool beside him. He handed me a piece of paper that had writing on both sides with his other hand and then a small sharpened pencil. Gee, hand a room full of villains a sharp pointy object. Smart!

I glanced around the already crowded room, alive with a loud buzz that was the result of all the combined mutters and whispers taking place, and I looked back up at Radcliffe. "How do I know where to sit?"

He rolled his eyes as he sipped at his tea. "You're from the newest movie, correct? So you sit on the end of the last row."

He pointed to where he was talking about and I muttered a quick thanks. Well, gee, how was I supposed to know? He didn't have to be rude about it.

Some chick was sitting in the seat that was beside mine, or rather an older woman that looked about the same age as Blondie's mom. She was tall and designed to be a thin yet curvy lady, if that makes sense, and she had thick black curly hair that ended just a little was past her shoulders. She had her legs crossed away from me and she was leaned back in her chair a bit with her elbows propping her behind her as if she was trying to be…well….for lack of a better word, "seductive".

Ugh, she's not even pretty; she kinda looks like a hag only a younger version of one. She was busy chatting it up with the guy sitting next to HER, some tall stick-thin guy (and this guy was almost quite literally a stick, that's how thin he was) with dark skin, a thin mustache, a top hat, formal clothes, and a fancy cane.

I'll assume that since we're all sitting in the order that our movies premiered, that these two clowns' movies were the two that were out before mine. It's kinda odd that the Stick Man guy is a 2D hand-drawn character and is sitting amongst us 3D folks. Wonder how THAT happened. I couldn't really read their name tags from where I was sitting and I wasn't about to look like a weirdo-slash-pervert and try to look either.

Up at the front, I could see a stage with a large speaker's podium facing towards us. Surrounding the perimeter of the room were those playing card guards from _Alice in Wonderland._ The Queen of Hearts herself was sitting up closer in the room, a few rows behind the very first one. I also spotted Scar yakking with some tiger that I didn't recognize. Ursula, the octopus-slash-sea witch, was off to the side in a small portable glass aquarium, her arms hanging off the side of it as she ate some…what was that? Shrimp?

I saw that idiot Gaston sitting a couple rows ahead of me and I HOPE he didn't see me. I never want to talk to that again as long as I live. His lackey friend, the one I dubbed Fanboy, was sitting next to him.

I blew out my breath and slouched down in my seat, then remembered the paper that Radcliffe had given me earlier. Perhaps I should have looked at this FIRST; the front of the paper had everyone's names listed in the same order that we were sitting in. My name was at the bottom but underneath my name was "Villain from _Frozen_: TBA". Huh, I guess that movie hasn't come out yet. Wonder what that guy and/or girl will be like.

I learned that the lady sitting next to me was Mother Gothel (from some movie called _Tangled_) and then the Stick Man sitting on her other side was Dr. Facilier (from _The Princess and the Frog_). There were a bunch of names on the list I didn't recognize and I got the feeling that perhaps I should keep watching movies even though I don't have to write essays on them anymore.

Weird thing, is that some of these names had words beside them in parentheses: The Horned King had "deceased" written beside his name in big blocky letters; Kaa had "banned" beside his, as did this Oogie Boogie fellow. Geez, I wonder how a guy named "The Horned King" gets killed? And what on earth did these two other chaps do to get banned? I mean, I was in PRISON, remember, and I'm still allowed to be here. What in Walt's name did these guys have to do for the other villains to completely shun them?

Plus there was this one name that got scratched out, one Amos Slade. No words were written by his which I thought was odd.

"What are YOU supposed to be, small fry?" I heard the woman, Mother Gothel, say to me from my right. I popped my head up and saw that she had directed her attention off of Dr. Stick Man and was now speaking to me.

I hadn't expected ANYONE in here to talk to me, so it came as a shock that SHE would. I swallowed and replied, "I'm Turbo…from _Wreck-It Ralph_?" She only blinked at me in response, a bored look slapped on her face. "Um…I'm a race car driver? From an '80s arcade game?"

I don't think she knew what I was talking about because she kept looking at me as if I had spoken to her in French. She threw her thick curly hair back behind her shoulder, smiling lightly in a snide way. "Yeah, I have no clue what any of that is. I HAVE heard of the movie, however."

She sighed audibly and she crossed her legs in my direction. "First time being here, eh? Last year, the party was held at my old tower home. They usually pick the new guy's place to throw it at, unless there happens to not BE a villain that year."

It was my turn to blink in surprise. "How can a movie not have a villain in it?"

She chuckled lightly, examining her fingernails on one hand now. "Ever heard of _Bolt_? There's not a villain for that movie, so that year that it came out, the existing villains had to recycle a location from before. When that happens, they usually vote to go to one of the classics' places, like say Neverland or Maleficent's fortress or even Wonderland if the Queen of Hearts is doped up enough to act sane for the night."

I didn't recognize Neverland but I did know the other two places and…whoa, wait a minute. She said they usually throw the party at the NEW GUY'S place? But…I'M the new guy!

"Wait, hold the phone, you're saying the party's going to be at MY place?" I whispered in a panicked way. "They can't have it there! I don't even have a place that's MINE to throw it at!"

Mother Gothel laughed quietly at me. "Whatever does that mean? You didn't have a little hideout or a home there?"

"Well…" I rolled my eyes around as I thought to explain it. "Not really, no. I kinda stole it from a kid. It's this place made up of entirely sugar and candy."

She wrinkled her nose and shuddered. "Ugh, don't make me sick. Sounds horrifying. Maybe it WILL be a bad idea to go to your place."

If we're going to be realistic here, MY place is technically where Blondie lives but there is no way that these guys are going to be allowed to throw a party in the Real World. Besides, her apartment is barely big enough for just us two let alone a roomful of villains.

I cleared my throat and looked at my paper again. "Say, what's with these names here that say "deceased" and "banned" beside them?"

Mother Gothel turned her head toward me, issuing me a dark glare that was enough to make me want to crawl away to a corner somewhere. "Sheesh, you don't know much, do you? The Horned King is dead because Kaa ate him and the rest of _The Black Cauldron_ cast. So that explains why Kaa is banned, since no one trusts him to not eat the rest of us. Oogie Boogie is considered so bad, that he lives in the Prison BASEMENT."

Whoa, the prison has a basement? I had no idea! I thought I was the only one that stayed there. Wow, go figure. Wonder what HIS problem is? Or maybe I don't wanna know…

"The Amos Slade guy doesn't even consider himself a villain." She shrugged casually at that. "Makes sense; he DOES have a small scene near the end where he has a moment of clarity and decides to do the right thing, so I guess you can say he redeems himself. From what I hear, he's in a relationship with the other human that lives in the movie-verse with him."

My brows raised up at that. Interesting...so this Amos guy, who's a villain, took himself off the villain list? And he gets to be all happy and peaceful with the chick he's in love with? Huh, I can't help but be jealous. Why can't I go through that same process? I want these people to leave me alone too!

I jumped when someone on my other side tapped my shoulder...and then jumped MORE when I saw this old ugly hag standing next to me. She was on the short side, surprisingly since I had thought that I was the shortest villain here, and she had this pale lilac hair and a pink dress on with purple on the chest section. She looked like an ugly old man to be perfectly honest.

"Ho ho, sonny boy, I was expecting you to show up looking like you do in the majority of your movie!" she nearly shrieked at me in this raspy, yet high-pitched voice. She sighed and folded her hands together by her head, looking up towards the heaven. "I thought you were the most MARVELOUS looking thing I'd ever laid eyes on!"

Oh, ICK. I had to refrain from gagging when she said that. I stole a look at her little name tag, which read "Mad Madame Mim" on it. Huh, never heard of her either. Judging from her appearance, she's from a much older movie. I forced a smile on my face and I could hear Mother Gothel behind me making stifled snicker noises.

"Uh...yeah, that was just a disguise," I explained to the Mim woman, hoping she'd beat it. "I don't think I CAN look like that anymore."

"Aww, what a pity!" she kept on, playing with the skirt part of her dress now, twirling it a bit like she were some ballerina. "I was hoping to have a date for this year's ball!"

I literally felt my breakfast rise up in my throat, forcing down a swallow in order to keep from puking everywhere. "Haha, well...sorry to disappoint..."

I looked up and ahead upon hearing a gavel rapping on the podium up front, while some guard escorted Madame Nutjob back to her assigned seat. Ugh, I can't believe that crazy loon has a crush on me! Or rather "King Candy" but STILL.

The Queen from Snow White's movie was the one beating the gavel, looking rather chilling with her calm eerie facade. She was in her "pretty" form, decked out in her royal garb. You know what, I wonder if she has a name...I checked the list of names on my paper and...Queen Grimhilde? They never once said that in the movie! Did someone just make that up? Whatever.

The crowd's buzzing died into an unnatural silence, so quiet that I could hear my heart beating. Just one look from Queenie and I was completely frozen. She's much scarier in person than she had been on the television, that's for sure. I noticed that everybody had gone back to their seats by now. Wise choice. Queen GRIMHILDE (dumb name) held her head high and gazed about the room to make sure everyone was paying attention to her before doing anything else.

"Welcome, fellow villains-"

"And henchmen!"

The voice came from somewhere a few rows ahead of me and to the far right. I darted my eyes around and sat up in my seat more to see a rotund man with balding red fuzzy hair and glasses had been the one to say it. He was sitting beside this skinny redhaired woman in a sloppy red dress and a big nose, who promptly used her fist to bonk him upside his head.

"Quiet, Snoops!" she growled at him, and the man cowered a bit in his chair, holding his hands over his head.

Queen Grimhilde let out a sigh of annoyance, a slight growl tacked to it. I then saw Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil herself, stand up from the very first row and point a long finger in the duo's direction.

"Medusa, control your pet imbecile before I SMITE you both," she warned them in a fierce, yet even voice.

Queenie cleared her throat and began again after Maleficent sat down, her fingers digging into the sides of it. "As I was saying...welcome to the annual meeting to discuss the Villains' Ball. I'm pleased to see that MOST of us could make it."

She folded her hands behind her back. "If you turn over the papers you received from Governor Radcliffe when you first arrived, you will find a list of locations with a small check box beside them. Normally, we would be having the party at our newest villain's home world-"

A few people turned to look at me, making me shrink down in my seat. I like attention and all, don't get me wrong, but not like THIS.

"-but it turns out that due to the nature of the movie's location, the majority of us wouldn't be able to actually ATTEND."

What? What is she-OH. Because a lot of these people are human, if they were to go to MY world, they would all end up like Blondie did and wind up in the actual arcade with Mr. Litwak. Huh. Well, gee, what am I complaining about? I didn't want to deal with that stress anyway.

"And since the location that we would be able to use from the new _Frozen_ movie is not yet ready for outside guests, we have no choice but to vote this year," the Queen continued. "So please take this moment to vote and we will collect the papers to tally the results afterwards."

Everyone did as they were told, turning their own attentions to their paper, and I looked over the list while chewing on the end of the pencil. The locations to choose from were: Maleficent's Castle, Devil's Bayou, Hell Hall (aka the De Vil Manor), Pleasure Island, the Underworld, Neverland, Halloween Town (offered on part of Jack Skellington's generosity), and Bald Mountain.

Hmm...well I certainly don't want to go to Cruella's house or any place with the word "Devil" in it; Underworld is where that jerk Hades lives (I can see his stupid flame head just a couple rows ahead of me); Bald Mountain just sounds STUPID. Pleasure Island sounds safe but how safe can a villain's lair be that is called that? I smell a trick on that one. Eh...I'll just put Maleficent's place. Can't go wrong with a classic location, right?

After giving everyone else a couple of minutes, Queen Grimhilde slammed her gavel down again. "Everyone should be finished by now. Pass your papers down to the left and Bill Sykes will collect them so he can tally the results for us."

This tall square-shouldered man in a business suit and thin glasses came up to me, looking down with a chilling sneer, cracking his knuckles. A fat smoking cigar was chomped down between his teeth, a faint wisp of smoke traveling upwards. This must be Bill Sykes, eh? I must get more educated on who these people are. He looks like some kinda mob boss! Everyone on my row handed their papers down to me and I held them up for Sykes to take, who snatched them from me rather rudely before going on to the next row. Yikes, what a creeper!

Once he got done, he stowed away to a corner while Queen Grimhilde announced that we could mingle for a few minutes while he was doing that and even have refreshments. Oh boy, food! I got up immediately and headed for the snack table like everyone else. I saw some candy-coated apples that looked suspiciously like the ones that Snow White had eaten so I passed on that, though I doubt Queenie would poison her fellow villains. I also saw some fried shrimp next to some dip (no doubt from Ursula), a pot of gumbo that smelled kinda spicy (it said from 'The Shadow Man' on it, whoever that is), a plate of hush puppies on a black and white spotted plate (gee, wonder who brought THAT? I'm being sarcastic by the way) and some other various foods. I heard someone say that it was a shame that Chef Skinner was a Pixar villain because then he could've brought something called "ratatouille" over.

You know what, none of this food seems very appetizing, so I think I'll just sit back down. I passed by that Mother Gothel lady again, flirting with some other tall guy (everyone's TALL around here!) that was wearing a floor-length dress/robe thing and a poofy hat with a feather in it. He looked ancient! Ugh. His name tag said "Judge Frollo" on it. He looks like a creeper too so I'll be sure to steer clear of him.

"Food not good enough for you?"

The chilling voice of Maleficent snapped me out of my thoughts and I stopped dead in my tracks before I could walk into her. She was glowering down at me with severe hostility and it made my blood run cold. What did I ever do to HER?

I forced myself to speak in her presence, not wanting to get killed or hypnotized by her. "Um...no, I-I'm just not hungry."

She crinkled a nose at me before grabbing my arm and dragging me off to the unoccupied end of the room. Having Maleficent's nails digging into me wasn't my idea of a good time and I instinctively struggled against her until she released me.

"You think you're better than the rest of us, don't you?" she accused me bitterly, lacing her fingers together on the top of her staff that she always carried with her.

My eyes blinked in shock when she said that. "What?" I asked in a confused manner, shrugging my shoulders up slightly. "I don't even KNOW you guys!"

She scoffed and leaned down a ways so she could face me better. "Don't be a FOOL. We all here agree that you are one of our more narcissistic colleagues. Never mind that you choose to shack up with a human as opposed to being around US."

Something about the way she said that made me angry. Before I knew it, my eyes were narrowed and pierced into hers and a scowl had formed on my face. "Hey, I was locked in PRISON. Getting involved with a human was the only way for me to get out."

"Yes," she hissed back, "but you don't need her anymore. Also, I hear you apologized to your protagonists."

My eyes widened and she smirked at me. "Oh, didn't think anyone would find out? EVERYONE knows when a villain apologizes."

"I...I thought that was the whole point," I questioned unsurely. "For us to make amends with the people that we were in the movie with. Make peace, and all that jazz."

Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling. "Not ALL of us apologize. I certainly haven't. And even if you DO, that doesn't mean the protagonist will accept. Poor Scar, for example," she waved her wand out towards the black-maned lion, "has apologized for YEARS. But Simba still suffers from his scripted PTSD issues and can't bring himself to fully trust his uncle. He won't even let other villains into his turf, which sadly means we've never held a ball at that exquisite elephant graveyard."

Oh...well that's sad.

"But enough about that, we're talking about YOU," Maleficent backtracked, pointing one of her long fingers against my nose momentarily. "You're as bad as that Amos Slade fellow who'd rather have nothing to do with us. Your choosing to remain in the Real World only suggests that you'd rather not be around the rest of us as well."

I swallowed and replied, "Well...maybe I would."

Her smirk only widened into a smile and she threw her head back and laughed. "You little fool, you really think you're one of THEM, don't you? You think you can eventually saturate yourself into the Real World long enough to where you can become like that and be accepted." Her smile faltered and she spoke in a lower tone. "Idiot. The only reason that human keeps you around is because you happened to get lucky and land a 'fangirl' as a caretaker. You're nothing but the ultimate prize to show off to other fans to her."

I felt my jaw set and my fists clench beside me. "That's NOT true!" I told her in a quiet tense voice, not wanting to make a scene. "You don't know anything about her so just leave her alone!"

Maleficent's grin returned and I knew I'd made a mistake. "Oh...you CARE about her, don't you?" she asked me in an almost humorous way, chuckling lightly. "How precious."

If it were possible for the color to drain from my face, it would have. All I could was stare at her stupidly as she shook her head at me.

"Chew on THIS, Turbo," she said in a low voice, a hint of her smile still present. "If you had been say, Gaston, that had showed up on her doorstep and that she had taken in to care for, would she have eventually fallen for HIM. Or..." She held up a finger in thought. "Or, if she had actually HATED you before even knowing you properly, would things still be the same between you?"

I...I wasn't sure. What is wrong with me, how can I not know the answer to that?

Due to the fact that I didn't respond right away, Maleficent chuckled a bit harder than before, sashaying herself past me as a way to end the conversation. I still stood there in my original spot, staring blankly at the wall. Why couldn't I answer? Deep down, did I truly think that she was right? My fingers gripped at the chest portion of my suit, pulling it a bit as if I were trying to get at my heart.

Of COURSE Blondie loves me, she wouldn't lie about something like that. But...maybe she really didn't and just THOUGHT she did...no, no I can't believe that! Maleficent was just trying to upset me as some kind of weird punishment for not being as evil as I'm supposed to be. Or maybe she's just jealous that she wasn't allowed to live outside of the Disney realms. Pffbt, she doesn't even know us! I can't take her crazy words for granted. Right?


	63. Shadow of a Doubt, Part Two

_Race-It Roxie: Yep, "The Fox and the Hound" was my favorite Disney movie before Wreck-It Ralph came along, so I have a soft spot for those characters. As for the OC, well, I don't think I could come up with any storylines for her actually. I already did one series with a chick from his past with a similar name (with shared title of girlfriend/best friend) so I kinda exhausted all my ideas for that kinda scenario. And I have a friend on here that's got an ongoing story with him and a racer named Roxie too and I wouldn't want him/her thinking I'm copying either. I suck with other people's OCs anyway, I can't feel any kind of attachment for them since they're not my "baby" so thus I don't really care about them as much as I do my own :/_

_Guest: lol yeah Maleficent is definitely one that would like to stir up trouble ;)_

_ShayCandyBar714: I think the Maleficent movie sounds...well, unnecessary really. And I can't stand Angelina Jolie so I will more than likely never watch it anyway. I haven't decided on Frozen or not, it's hasn't really interested me so far but maybe when I see a preview for it, I'll consider it. I've never been to Disney World or Disney Land so I had no idea what Tomorrowland was supposed to be referring to :( Never heard of it. *sighs* I'm a little worried about Disney taking control of Star Wars also, but surely they can't be any worse than the "prequel" movies. I only like the originals anyway.  
_

_betheleaf: I might throw Frollo in again at some point, so many things you can do with a sexually frustrated octogenarian with a religious background XD I kinda ship him with Mother Gothel *rolls away in shame*. And Maleficent doesn't need anyone to tell her to be annoying, she would troll people just for the sake of trolling. And like she'd listen to Mickey anyway ;) She's the Mistress of All Evil after all, it would out-of-character for her to NOT be a jerk._

_absolutebanana: Yeah, I've seen Princess/Frog a couple times. It's not really my favorite :/ I did like Naveen and then Dr. Facilier was fun to watch. And...*thinks*, Turbo's still noticeably an animated person but his features are more proportionate to each other (like, his head isn't as big and he can wear normal people clothes without a problem) and he has normal human skin/hair in terms of how it feels and he has blood instead of code (except in his movie-verse, everything goes back to exactly the way it was in the movie when he goes there, so he goes back to being completely code).  
_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time  
**

I had gone with Mickey back to his office directly after dropping Turbo off at that meeting, currently sitting in one of the chairs across from his desk. The Mouse sat with his elbows propped on the desk, his fingers folded in between each other, and his body somewhat leaned forward a bit in his chair.

"So he's been behaving himself pretty good then?"

I nodded curtly before responding. "Mm-hmm, I haven't had any trouble out of him in a long while actually." I smiled and let out a chuckle. "It's funny, when he watches one of my Disney movies I have in my collection, he usually sides with the hero instead of the villain. It's kind of ironic, really."

To my surprise, Mickey smiled in a pleased manner upon hearing this. "Wonderful! I never thought sending a villain out into the Real World under supervision of a human would have been a smart move, but apparently this little experiment has been a success."

I wasn't sure if I liked the term "experiment" or not, but I decided to look past it. I politely laughed and I crossed my legs, my hands clenched in my lap. "Yeah, I suppose it has been."

"So you think he'll be able to go in live in his own movie-verse soon, then?"

He might as well have dropped a literal bomb on me. My face fell instantly and the room went silent as a grave, my heart feeling as though someone was holding it in their hand and squeezing it roughly. Nausea hit me like a freight train, a cold sweat forming all over me. I tried to speak but found that I could not due to my mouth having dried up like the Death Valley.

Mickey seemed to understand that he had shocked me, his thumbs tapping against each other, and he cleared his throat. "Well, that _is_ the whole point, right? The entire purpose of having the villains here in this center is to help them become normal, functional members of society so that someday they will be able to live within their home movie-verses."

He shrugged his shoulders casually as if this was no big deal. "Besides, none of them are truly happy unless they are within their original surroundings. That's _home_ to them. The majority are depressed when they get denied visitation rights to their homes."

I had to bite my cheek in order to activate my salivary glands so that my mouth wouldn't be too dry for me to speak. "But…but he _hates_ it here! Having to be here is as bad as pulling teeth without Novocain to him!"

"He can't very well live in the Real World forever," Mickey countered back calmly, using a hand to rub at one of his ears. "He's going to have to come back at some point. I mean, what's he going to do when you die?"

My old fear swam back into me, about how Turbs can't age and I can, meaning that I'll die one day in an elderly state while he stays looking exactly the same. I know that he said that he could die also, but…only if someone kills him or he does it himself...which I hope he never does.

"We…we haven't really discussed that…" I stammered out, not sure what to say.

Mickey raised his brows at that. "You mean you've already been talking about it? He's actually got plans to stick around after you're gone? Or even when you're _old_?"

I felt myself getting upset over this. I didn't like thinking about it, much less talking about it. My legs were shaking visibly and my nails were digging into my hands as I clenched them tighter together.

"I….I…."

"Do you really think he _is_ going to stay after you're not able to care for him?" Mickey continued, his hands opened towards me. "Think about it; it was pure luck that _you_ happened to be the one that he ended up with when he first escaped here last November. What if it had been someone else?"

The idea that he could've landed at some other chick's door _really_ made me upset. Would he have given her a hard time at first and then fell for her like he did me? Was I really not all that special? Does he just_ think_ he loves me? Or was I a fluke in the system, the isolated incident?

"Don't do the guy any favors and let him overstay his welcome," I heard Mickey say even though I wasn't really paying him too much attention right now. "Why burden yourself for the rest of your life? Let him come back to live here when he's good and ready, and break free from whatever bond you think you two have. You're a _human_, you need to be involved in _human_ activities and have relationships with them. Because when you're gone, he's still going to be around and it won't take very long for him to forget about you."

I shut my eyes tight and tried to block him out, which proved unsuccessful. "No, you're wrong. He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't just forget about me."

"When you live long enough, you tend to forget things…including people," he replied bluntly.

I shook my head, keeping my face tilted down towards the floor. "I don't believe that. And I don't appreciate you trying to tell me that he doesn't actually like me either."

"I never said that he _didn't_. I'm saying that he grew to like you due to having to depend on you. It's like a dog with his owner."

Comparing Turbo to a dog_ really _made me mad. I opened my eyes and fixed them into a glare, aiming them straight into Mickey's eyes. "You're _wrong_," I told him fiercely, my throat swelling up as I spoke. "He _does_ care about me, and other people too, and he _won't_ forget about me after I'm gone."

I stood up from my seat and angrily looped my purse handle over my shoulder. "And what difference does it make _whose_ door he ended up at last year? The point is that he learned to be a good person and let someone in, _right_?"

_Not to mention, I myself ended up learning to let someone else in as well, _is what I wanted to say to finish up that statement but I don't want Mickey in my personal business any more than he already is. I bid him a curt good-bye and let myself out the door, trembling all over.

How _dare_ he! How dare he try and cast a shadow of doubt in my mind that what Turbs and I have is genuine? Sure, he doesn't know that we're "together" now, but he does know that we're rather close friends anyway. What the heck is that guy's problem? It's like, one second he'll sound like a decent guy who actually cares about these people; the next, he's trying to bring them back down again!

I stayed in a bathroom stall for a good while, trying to get myself together. I can't let Mickey get to me like that. None of what he said was true. Turbs didn't start liking me just because he got used to me being around or because I'm the closest person he has in his life, he likes me because he simply _does_. No explanation needed. Right?

* * *

By the time the meeting was over with, I was more than ready to go home. Judging by the exasperated look on Turbo's face, he was ready to leave also. He stayed quiet for a while, leading me to get worried. I pulled him into a small hallway that was empty and squeezed his arm gently.

"Everything okay?" I asked out of concern. "Did someone say something ugly to you in there?"

He wasn't looking at me, his eyes a little dimmer than they usually are, which meant that he was either feeling sick or he was sad. My stomach tightened up with dread and I cupped his chin with my free hand to make him look at me.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I whispered, darting my eyes down the hall for a moment to watch out for potential spies. "You can tell me."

He looked at me for a total of four seconds before removing my hand from his face, smiling sadly. "Nothing, I'm just tired is all," he said quietly. "Let's just go home."

I had a strong feeling that he was lying but no matter; I'd find out sometime today anyway.

* * *

Turbs stayed quiet the entire way home; we had Marahute from _The Rescuers Down Under_ as a ride this time. Flying on giant eagles is the best!

Anyway, even after we got settled back in the apartment, he just plopped himself down on the couch looking like someone he knew just died. He removed his helmet and placed it to the side, running a hand through his now messed up hair. I sighed quietly, wanting to break up this dreary mood.

"So...did you guys pick a place for the Villains' Ball?"

He picked his head up at the sound of my voice, barely turning it in my direction. "Yeah...some place called Halloween Town."

It took me a second to remember what movie that came from and, when I finally did remember, I smiled and gasped in happy shock. "Where Jack Skellington lives? Oh wow, that should be, like, the_ official_ ball location! It's so _creepy_ there!"

Turbo lightly crossed his arms, tilting his head down towards the floor and swinging one of his legs. "Yeah, sorry, I guess I wouldn't know about it."

My face fell at the hint of roughness in his voice and I went over to place a hand on the back of the couch. "I _know_ that you wouldn't know about it," I responded quietly. "I was just saying that it's a cool place to have a party at..."

"But if you didn't know anything about it, you'd care less, right?" His head tilted back towards me just enough for me to see one eye.

I wasn't sure where he was going with this, but I didn't like it. I drummed my fingers nervously along the back of the couch, forcing myself to say something. "Well...yeah, I suppose so," I shrugged casually. "So what?"

He hung his head down when I said that and he uncrossed his arms, lifting one up to rub at his forehead. "So if you hadn't known who I was when I came here, you wouldn't have bothered with me?"

I was rather taken aback by the question. My mouth opened as if to speak but I honestly had no clue how to respond. "I...I don't know, Turbs, that's not exactly a scenario I can dream up an answer for."

"Fine, how's _this_ scenario?" he snapped at me unexpectedly, causing me to shrink back. "Seeing as how I was already your supposed favorite when I got here, is that the only reason that you let me stay here?" He lifted his head enough to turn it in my direction again, looking rather frustrated. "If I'd been someone else, would you have ever started liking me as something _more_?"

It hit me what he was getting at and it struck a chord in me. The _wrong_ one. "What exactly are you insinuating?" I asked him tensely, my eyes narrowing into a glare. "That I only love you because I already have a history of fangirl-crushing on you? That it's not _genuine_? Is _that_ what you're saying?"

My voice had raised higher with every question that came out of my mouth. How dare he even think to insult me like that! Who does he think he is?!

"Well, it's true isn't it?" was the only thing he said in response.

It was like getting slapped in the face with a hot iron. I felt my jaw drop a bit at the accusation, a mixture of hurt and anger boiling inside of me. "You actually _believe_ that?" My eyes went back into a hard glare, my whole body shaking. "How can you possibly think that! In case you're forgetting, we didn't exactly get along the first few months of being here! A few times, I almost threw you out!" I swung my arms in the direction of the door to imitate literally tossing him. "How _dare_ you even think to accuse me of simply having feelings for you just because of who you are in a _movie_!"

The surprised expression he was wearing told me that, apparently, he wasn't expecting me to get so hostile, which is a laugh because how else did he think I was going to respond? Did he think I was just going to stand here and let him talk smack about me to my face? Ha!

And I wasn't even done yet.

"What about _you_, huh?" I asked, throwing my hand out at him before clenching it back onto the top cushion of the couch, my fingers digging into it painfully. "How do I know that _you_ don't just like _me_ because you got used to me being around or, or did that thing like soldiers in the war did where they fall in love with their nurse because they took care of them?"

I know I was saying pretty much exactly what Mickey had been telling me earlier, but I didn't care. If he's allowed to question _my _feelings, why shouldn't I question _his_?

Turbs looked away from me when I said those things, his fingers laced together in his lap and his shoulders shrugged up as if he were uncomfortable. I couldn't even stand to look at him anymore right now; my eyes started watering up and I turned around to go in my bedroom, slamming the door behind me and throwing myself on my bed. I grabbed a pillow to hug and started crying into it. Call me a big baby, but I can't handle this type of stress for very long.

How dare he, how dare he, how _dare_ he! I can't believe he even thought those things! I've never been so insulted of offended in my life!

After a few minutes, I heard a tap at the door and I pulled my tear-stained face away from my pillow. "Go away! I don't want to talk to you anymore!"

He disobeyed my wishes and he came inside anyway. I didn't even look at him, I went back to being on my side and pressing my face against my pillow. "Leave me alone, you've said enough already," I mumbled in a teary voice.

After a few dragging seconds passed by, the bed creaked as it sank down a little ways. One of his arms snaked around my waist and he tugged himself over to me, his forehead pressed against the back of my skull. I wanted to get away from him but at the same time it was comforting to be held, so I tried to make myself calm down a bit.

"I'm sorry," he told me just above a whisper. "I...I just...heard some stuff today and it made me overthink things."

My brow furrowed at hearing this and I swallowed so I could talk better. "Heard what? From who?"

He sighed heavily, which made me think he didn't want to really bring it up. "Maleficent...she made me think all that stuff. She's very..." He paused for a few seconds before finishing, probably mentally searching for the right word "Persuasive."

I bit my bottom lip gently upon hearing that. "What does she know about _us_? How would she even know to say stuff like that?"

I felt him shrug his shoulders. "She was just making assumptions because you're human, I guess. She's not the Mistress of All Evil for _nothing_, you know."

"Yeah..." I maneuvered my arm so I could grab his hand and pull him closer to, snuggling back against him while I had my fingers laced in his. I curled both our arms up near my chin in a comfortable position, relaxing more. "For future reference, I fell in love with who you are _now_, not who you _were_ or how the public sees you. If you were still a complete jerkface, I might have already given you the boot."

He let out a chuckle at that, hugging me tighter. "I would've deserved it." He stayed quiet for another moment before adding, "You're the...first person that acted like they really cared about me. It took me a while to get it through my head that you weren't just playing nice with me...it kinda made me feel bad for being a jerk, and-", he took in a breath, "-and it made me realize that I cared too."

A smile crept on my face. So he didn't just 'get used to me', he actually realized something about himself with a little help from yours truly. Setting a good example actually works, I suppose. He had the ability to care inside him all along; and I was the lucky person that got to live with it.

My smile disappeared when I remembered something else Mickey had said: that Turbo was going to have to go back to his movie-verse at some point, supposedly for good. I hated to bring it up, but-

"Turbs, Mickey said you'd have to go back to your home of origin to _live_...since you're doing so well out here."

There was silence behind me and then, "I'll take care of it."

That sounded a little _too_ confident. "Oh? Care to share your idea with the rest of the class?"

"I didn't say I had an idea, I just said I'd take care of it." Another pause, then, "You know who...Amos Slade is?"

My face lit up at the name. "Yeah, he's the 'villain', if you can really call him that, from _The Fox and the Hound_. That was my favorite movie before _Wreck-It Ralph_. What about him?"

"Well, apparently he has cut ties with the other villains and now lives peacefully with whoever else is from his movie because he fell in love with her. He doesn't even associate with them. I figured if he could do it, I could."

Whoa, Amos and Widow Tweed are a couple? Huh, whoever would've guessed! Awwww, that's kinda cute now that I think about it.

"You think you can pull it off?" I asked him, kinda worried about this. "Won't that be a lot of trouble?"

"It'll be worth it, don't you think?" he asked back. "Can't hurt to try. Besides, you're talking to a guy that had a master criminal plan that actually _worked_ for years on end, of _course_ I can pull it off."

I couldn't help but giggle at him and he shifted himself a bit to where he'd be looking down on me. "What, that's all I get? A few giggles?" He had this impish look on his face but I didn't have time to react to it because he immediately started digging his fingers into my ribs.

I gasped harshly and started giggling wildly, trying to push him off of me. "No-no-no, Turbs, stop, hahaha, _quit_, haha, stoooop!"

It was hard to wiggle away since he was behind me still. so after a few seconds of being tortured like this, I forced myself to roll over towards him and poke him in _his_ ribs. He shut his eyes and grinning, squealing like a squeaky toy and trying to push _my_ hands off, which only made me go at him _more_. We finally had to stop so we could catch our breath, still letting out random giggles. I leaned over and placed my hands on either side of his face and brought him closer to me so I could kiss him, the both of us sighing into it, relaxing fully now.

"I love you," he said to me, looking in my eyes and bumping noses with me.

"I love you too," I smiled back before receiving a kiss from him. I nuzzled underneath his chin so I could get comfortable, our arms all wrapped up around each other. That's the best way to take a nap, in my opinion.

Who cares what people think about us? All we should care about is how _we_ feel about _each other_. If people don't want to think what we have is real, then they can look the other way.


	64. The Mystery Man's POV

_Ellie: I forgot to write you a reply last chapter, my bad! and yeah lol, just imagine those poor people getting eaten to death by a python D: _

_Race-It Roxie: hahaha "dixbo", that sounds kinda dirty XD I was calling it "turblondie", and I've heard "tondie" and "turbixie" also. And haha yes, Turbug Man! XD  
_

_ShayCandyBar714: Yeah, I don't want Maleficent to be sympathetic, I like her being a total evil baddie! And Tomorrowland sounds like fun! My sister and I are hoping we get to go next year to Disney World. Hehe, yeah Frollo/Gothel, they're both abusive "adoptive" parents that kept their "kids" locked up in high places so they deserve each other._

_apple: I had changed it to Skinner that same day I posted it, it might not have showed up for another couple hours though. I was half-asleep when I wrote that (bad idea) and got the two people confused. lol everyone has their ship name for us I suppose! I've heard three different ones so far, not counting the one I came up with myself._

_Nath the Crazy: Hehehe, I'm sure Maleficent would LOVE that ;) Yeah, I've read where more than one person has said that Anna looks a lot like Rapunzel :/ Maybe when they show some actual previews for it, I can get a better idea of what exactly it's about, because so far it hasn't interested me._

_betheleaf: lol yeah it was a nice coincidence that we both had similar talks in separate rooms ;) and yeah, I gotta kinda sad after I wrote the end of that chapter, because I didn't have anyone in real life to cuddle with! D: lol _

* * *

**The "Mystery Man's" POV**

The system is a disgrace. A failure. An embarrassment.

Who are they kidding around here? Villains, reforming their ways? Leading normal, ordinary lives with the rest of us? Most of them are just FAKING it so they can get out of that looney bin they call a rehab center. _Puh_. Even THEY know that there isn't any chance of them "reforming".

Okay, even I'M not ignorant enough to understand that SOME of them do reform or even redeem themselves within the course of their respective movies. That, I can buy, because the reformation is now part of their original characterization. But after the movie ends, and they're still stuck in their "evil" mode...you can't change that. No way, no how.

The entire system is a mess. Mickey's too old-fashioned, seeing the potential good in everyone. That's the most gullible, naive way to live. He chooses to ignore the threat of these naturally dangerous people wandering around amongst the rest of us...and without any of our consent! These monsters should stay locked up forever for the crimes they've all done; it isn't like any of them truly repent or like any of these so-called methods they utilize here at the center actually work...some of the villains have out right said that they never would repent, so why grant them freedom?

And actually letting that Turbo loose in the human's world? One of the most dangerous, psychopathic villains in the entire Disney Universe? Ha! What a crock. This "pet project" of Mickey's has gone too far. He keeps refusing to take the matter seriously; that lunatic WILL hurt someone, I guarantee it. It's obvious he's grown obsessed with that human girl; I refuse to believe that he honestly CARES about her, as it isn't within his being to care for anyone but himself. She's nothing but a trophy to him. If someone hurts her or tries to take her from him, he'll react the same way he did in the movie: with violence.

So far, the little freak is being smart, watching his step and being generally cautious...but he'll screw up eventually. He'll screw up even if I have to orchestrate it. He'll be the prime example that these post-movie reformation techniques DON'T WORK.

And who will be to blame when that happens? Mickey Mouse.

I say it's high time for him to retire.

In order to take matters into my hands, I had needed an unlimited transportation source...one that could get me to any world I needed to visit. We have teleportation machines scattered throughout the different movie-verses and in the main hub of Disney World itself, but I needed something more mobile and user-friendly.

Mickey has a handheld version that he keeps on his person at all times. What people don't know is that he has a backup in his office and also there's the blueprints for building one locked up away in that kooky Profession Von Drake's office. It was surprisingly easy to snatch the backup one out of Mickey's office. I had done that during our first face-to-face conversation, since he was late to arrive and I had nothing better to do than to snoop. He never suspected a thing. Probably doesn't even know it's missing.

I used it to transport myself secretly to the Real World...easy enough, Mickey's an idiot and left a notebook full of codes in it that you type into the device to take you anywhere you want. I'd copied the ones I'd needed on a napkin and stuffed it into my pocket.

Let me say that humans are the rudest, most disgusting creatures I've ever laid eyes on. Can you believe some of them called me such vile, offensive words such as "midget", "fatso", and "munchkin"? Hmph, the nerve. No wonder they like movie villains, because they are just as ruthless and devious as THEY are.

I managed to keep an eye on Turbo for a while, which was simple enough for me to do since I'm not the most noticeable person in the world. I overheard some talk about Florida a few times while he and the girl were in public, so I returned back to my home, logged onto the internet (we have access in our movie-verse due to the nature of the environment) and found a guy on some site called Craigslist saying that he would do ANYTHING for money to obtain heart medication.

I contacted him, Antonio was his name, and plotted out specific instructions for him to carry out: hurt the girl, get Turbo to hurt HIM so he could get thrown in prison. And he failed in that menial task.

I had to regroup after that, come up with a new plan, one that I don't exactly have yet. I just know that in order for this to work, it has to be someone that personally knows the girl that wouldn't mind hurting her...someone who has a history with her. Old boyfriend perhaps? That information might take a while to drag up so I'll just continue to lay low and spy for the time being. Sooner or later, I'll get what I want.

By the time it's all over, I might be the new face of Disney. Out with the old, in with the new.


	65. On the Right Track

_ShayCandyBar714: lol heck no, August is bad enough here in Louisiana, I'm sure it's even worse in Florida! We'd probably go in June, my sister's a teacher so summer's obviously the only time she can go anywhere. And yeah, that was a much shorter chapter, so I tend to update faster if I have one of those typed up._

_Guest: Oh don't worry, his identity will be revealed when the time is right ;) hehehe. And yeah, no one can run Disney like Mickey!_

_Ellie: lol nope, it's not Mickey, unless he has some split personality he doesn't know about...which he doesn't :P _

_Race It Roxie: yeah "Muscles" is kinda sympathetic, he was just wanting his meds after all! And he didn't even really go through with his plan anyway. _

_Original Princess: hehe, he will be revealed in time ;) and thanks, glad you like the story :)_

_Nath: haha, he DOES look creepy with pie eyes, for sure!_

_Kat: lol you're officially the first to suspect those certain people! _

_Race-It Roxie: We shall see ;) *evil laugh*_

_betheleaf: My cat snuggles too but usually not when I want to, it's when SHE wants to :P And yeah, I try to drop a hint or two everytime the "mystery man" is in a scene._

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**Two Months Later...Mid-September 2013**

"Turbo! Turbo, oh man, am I glad to see you!"

Remember "Newman"? The driving instructor that let Turbo cheat and skip through three weeks of mandatory driving lessons in exchange for an insane joy ride that nearly gave me a heart attack? The elated fanboy that wouldn't shut up stroking Turbo's massive ego? Well, guess who decided to come into our lives again?

Turbs and I had been walking downtown at the Boardwalk, which is really just a large outdoor mall when you compare to _real _boardwalk areas like in Florida, and we had just come out from eating at Copeland's Cheesecake Factory (_yummy_) when the familiar loud, yet slightly raspy voice came rolling out of nowhere into our ears. The overweight, baby-faced man with the uncontrollable black curly hair that was cut close to his head came jogging up to us on the sidewalk, slightly out of breath from the short distance that he'd had to travel from one side of the road to the other.

He had to lean over and place his hands on his knees to catch his breath, then straightened up and pushed the nosepiece of his oversized glasses back so they wouldn't fall of his now reddened face. Turbs and I exchanged brief glances at each other before turning our full attention to him.

"Sorry, sorry, not trying to freak you two out," said "Newman" breathlessly as he stood before us. "I just haven't seen you guys in forever and was just excited!"

Turbo smiled and chuckled a bit at him. "No worries. Oh hey, thanks again for the help earlier this year."

"Yeah, sometimes I think he loves the car more than _me_," I kidded around and he gently shoved me with his shoulder playfully.

"Newman" blinked and looked back and forth between us. "Oh wait, you guys really are a couple now?" His beady eyes crinkled up behind his glasses as he smiled, dimples showing in cheeks. "That's turbo-tastic!"

I blushed faintly, letting my hand grab onto Turbo's. We've been together about two and half months now and it felt as natural as breathing at this point. My parents were trying to play nice as well as they could; the rest of the family was still trying to even understand the whole Disney thing.

Turbo flashed "Newman" a smile while I asked, "So what's going on with you? Anymore celebrities show up at your school?"

At the word "school", the man's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands together briefly. "_That's_ what I wanted to talk to Turbo about!" He laced his hands together as if he were praying and he leaned forward. "I need a new driving teacher. My regular partner quit and I can't think of anyone better to take his place than _you_!"

I wasn't expecting to hear _that_, that's for sure. I turned my head towards Turbs but he was too busy staring at "Newman" to do anything else.

"You want _me_?" Turbo asked in a disbelieving tone, pointing at his chest. "You want _me _to be a driving instructor?"

"Newman" laughed giddily. "Yeah, of course! Why not? I mean, you can't teach them to go over the speed limit or how to jump over obstacles, but I think you'd be perfect!"

"I think you should do it," I smiled at him, squeezing his hand. "That job's practically got your name all over it, except for being an actual racer of course."

"I've never taught anyone how to drive though," Turbo worried out loud, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.

"That's what school's for," responded Turbo's future boss. "That's the only bad thing, you gotta get a degree of some sort. I'd recommend online since that's faster and probably more doable for you."

Seeing as how his own money supply had run out, Turbs glanced over at me to silently question if that was okay or not. I simply nodded at him, smiling a little more. It wouldn't be a big hassle for me to pay for school, since I doubt this is anything that will take more than a year for him to complete anyway. I'd never even thought about a driving instructor having to go to school anyway.

Turbo smiled back at me and he looked back at "Newman", who looked like he was going to potty on himself from all the suspense. "Okay, I'll do it."

The desperate man's face lit up with glee and he threw his arms in the air, proclaiming, "Woo-hoo!", and grabbed Turbo's hand to shake. "Thank you, thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me!"

Turbs was shaking all over from "Newman's" forceful hand gesture even after he had quit. I giggled softly and then inquired, "So what are you going to do in the meantime? Until he's able to actually teach that is?"

"Oh, I have a temporary teacher coming in from another school that's going to help out, but he's only staying until I can get a new guy." He dug out a business card from his front shirt pocket and pen from his pants pocket so he could scribble something down. "Here's a few good schools for you to look up and of course my phone number and email if you have any questions."

Turbo took the card and looked at it for a few seconds before handing it to me so I could stick it in my purse for right now. "Thanks, Mr. Boddy."

Mr. Boddy? So that's "Newman's" real name? Darn, I had gotten accustomed to his nickname. Oh well, I'm still calling him that because I swear he looks just like him.

We bid our goodbyes, going our separate ways, and I leaned against Turbo's shoulder as we walked. "Good thing you already know how to do homework," I couldn't help but joke, referring to his movie essays.

"Oh, ha ha, real cute, blondie," he smirked back. He then sighed and added, "Well, guess your parents will be thrilled, since I'm not gonna be some lazy bum mooching off their kid anymore."

That gave me an idea. "Daddy's birthday's coming up, maybe we can tell them then," I suggested, swinging our conjoined arms in my excitement.

"Yeah that'll work." A grin spread across his face and he let a chuckle out. "Imagine the looks on people's faces when they find out their driving instructor is going to be _Turbo, _the greatest racer ever."

"I would've preferred that than the lady I had. She didn't even bother teaching me to parallel park!"

"What?" he asked in surprise. "That's crazy, it's easy! I can show you how to do that if you want." He grinned at me again, his eyes twinkling. "You can be my first unofficial student."

I put my free hand over my heart as if touched by the statement. "Aww, thanks." I flashed a mischievous grin. "But, uh...you know there's a general rule about teachers dating their students."

He rolled his eyes but he continued to smile. "Well, your lesson will be one of those 'under the table' deals, so I don't think it counts as a _true_ teacher-student relationship." He gave me a sideways glance. "Unless you just want to pretend that it is, that way you can further pretend that what we have is _extremely _taboo."

It was my turn to roll _my _eyes, though he had a point. We still hadn't let it be known at Disney World that we were a couple, though I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard for anyone that watched us to figure it out. I don't even know if it would be that big of a deal. I mean, if you think about it, he's technically retired since he's no longer needed, so our relationship wouldn't be screwing anything up canon-wise.

The main thing is that we were still, every now and then, worried about that incident in Florida. We never heard or saw from Muscles again, but there was still that fear that whoever had _hired_ him was still around. We still suspected someone from Disney World, because who _else_ could it be? I've discussed the possibility of it being Guy before, but I concluded that if he really wanted to hurt me, he'd do it himself and not hire outside sources. He's a cop after all, he has to be careful if he doesn't want to risk his job.

Also, I've had this odd feeling that we're being...watched. Call me crazy, but every once in a while when me and Turbo are out and about, I feel like there's a pair of eyes watching us. I never see anyone, and neither does Turbo, but I can't shake the feeling. I _really _hope I'm wrong about Guy and I also hope that we're both just being paranoid and that we have nothing to worry about.

* * *

**A Week Later...Daddy's Birthday Party**

My dad isn't one to go out and celebrate his birthday on a high note. He prefers quiet evenings at home with his favorite home-cooked meal and dessert for his birthday, whereas the rest of us like to go eat out somewhere and see a movie.

We had just finished eating our grilled steaks, cheesy mashed potatoes, and assortment of vegetables before we brought out my dad's birthday cake. His favorite is a chocolate cake with raisins baked in it, something my grandmother always used to make and it is a family favorite. Well, except for me, I HATE raisins! YUCK! I always have to painstakingly pick them out of my cake, which looks like a large pile of crumbs by the time I'm done with it.

After singing the birthday song and slicing up the cake for everyone, I waited a few minutes before deciding to say anything. "Hey, guys, we have some good news!"

Turbo looked a little nervous, since being center of attention around my family has never been a good thing before in the past. With anyone else, he'd probably _love_ having attention doted on him. Now that everyone was staring at me, I looked at Turbs and bumped him softly with my fist in his shoulder, prompting him to announce his plans.

My sister gasped before he could say anything, smiling brightly. "Are you getting married?"

My mom had been in the middle of drinking her iced tea when she said that, causing her to theatrically spit it out all over the table. My germaphobic brother reeled back when she did that, nearly falling out of his chair.

"EW! MOM! That's so nasty!" He made gagging noises and had to leave the room. He's one of those people that doesn't even like his food touching on his plate and he refuses to use utensils that are sitting on the table with no barrier between them, so spitting on the cake was an ultimate sin in his book.

My dad had his head rested in his hand, his face slightly red as he tried not to laugh at my mom's reaction, a closed smile on his face. My mom was wiping her face and then the rest of the table to the best of her abilities. My sister looked back and forth between our parents, looking rather guilty.

"Sorry," she muttered, "I didn't mean to incite such a dramatic turn of events."

Turbo and I glanced at each other in embarrassment; not that it would be horrible that we were getting married of course, but that simply wasn't the case right now.

My dad finally allowed his hand to leave his face, clasping his hands together in front of him and resting his chin on them. "It's fine, darlin'," he assured my sister before turning his attention to us. "So what exactly _do _you have to announce then?"

I bumped Turbs again, and he cleared his throat. "Well, I...I got a job offer and...have to go to school first, but it shouldn't take very long."

"It's to be a driving instructor," I embellished, smiling proudly at him and hugging his arm. "That's great, right?"

Sis was the first to speak up. "Are you going to teach people to do donuts and jump over things?"

Turbo choked a laugh out. "Uh...I don't think that's allowed..."

"Well, good, I think that's great," Daddy smiled, nodding his head. "Seems right up your alley so hopefully it works out."

Bro came back in the room, peeking around the door. "Did I hear something about donuts?"

"Turbo's going to teach people to drive!" Sis explained to him in an excitable voice. "That would be so cool if a Disney character had been my teacher!"

My mother was the only one who hadn't commented so I hesitantly asked her, "Momma? What do you think?"

I figured she still wasn't a big fan of his, but she put on a smile at least. "Yes, I think that's wonderful. Then he can help with the bills."

My face fell into a frown. "_Mother_! I don't have a problem with bills as it is!"

Daddy thankfully intervened before things could escalate. "Let's just be happy that things are going well, shall we?" He sighed a bit before picking up his fork. "Now, I'm going to sit here and finish this cake and I say we sit here like a family and enjoy it together. That too much to ask?"

I smiled a bit, glad that Daddy had grouped us all together as "family" and didn't isolate Turbo as his own individual person, as in "as a family plus a guest" or something like that. It was a tiny hint that Turbs was getting accepted as "one of us", which pleased me to no end.

"But there's still spit on the table," Bro whined, messing the mood up a tad.

"Sit down, boy, and finish that cake before I eat it for you."


	66. The Unseen Side of Disney

_AquaTheCat: Thank you! :D And oh, I've got plans for Bestie ;) hehe_

_Ellie: Thanks! :) And we'll see if you're right... ;)_

_Race It Roxie: XD Omg that's so cute, yeah I can totally see Turbs doing that! And not too much longer 'til the "big reveal" ;) hehe And aww I'm sorry about your grandpa :( *hugs you* I was really sad when my dad's parents passed away but yeah at least they aren't in pain anymore.  
_

_Original Princess: Turbo gonna be rollin' in the dough :D_

_apple: It's in September because I wanted to skip ahead closer to the holiday months and drama scenes lol. It doesn't have to take place in real time. _

_Hecate: glad you like the story! :) And lol if I tell you if you're right or not, then everybody else would be spoiled and the mystery wouldn't be so fun! hehe_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Mickey Mouse yawned widely for the fourth time since he had picked up the phone answering a call from Ludwig Von Drake. The elderly self-proclaimed genius duck was babbling about something he had been working on, or rather _improving_ on, and he was babbling away in his high-tech language that he believed everyone to understand just as well as he did. Something to do with that movie _Enchanted_ that came out a few years ago; that particular movie-verse was unique in that it was _empty. _Reason being, all of the characters had not been true animated beings; the live actors and actresses had undergone a technique that was rarely used as it could be dangerous: becoming animated themselves.

It was risky in that a human's body might not be able to withstand the transformation from flesh/blood into something more unnatural...and then vice versa. So far, everyone that had undergone this process had had to go through extensive physical screenings in order to deem them healthy enough to go through with it.

Von Drake had it in his head that he could improve the technique to be error-proof, but Mickey wasn't so sure. He didn't like the idea of endangering a human and had always held his breath whenever a movie was made that required this process, which thankfully hadn't occured to often in history. Mickey was only barely listening to the duck blabber on about it and the Mouse finally had to gently make up an excuse about some lunch date with Minnie that he was late for in order to hang up on him.

Okay, it wasn't a total lie that he had a date with Minnie but that wasn't for another hour. She was currently off with Daisy and Clarabelle at the beauty parlor, no doubt gossiping about the goings-on around Disney World. She always had something interesting to say after a day out with Clarabelle, that's for sure. That reminded him, he needed a boys' day out with Donald and Goofy again, it had been a while since the three of them had taken a day to relax.

Not that he _could_ relax, even if he wanted to. If it wasn't someone complaining about what little publicity they got (not that he could change that), it was someone whining about what somebody else was doing (mostly about a villain). He had just recently had to break up _another _fight between Jafar and Hades over who Maleficent liked more (who Mickey suspected caused these brawls to begin with), Simba's daughter and son-in-law's marriage was on the rocks, Prince Eric's kid kept wanting to movie-jump over to Peter Pan's world, the list went on and on.

Not to mention ever since he had decided to let Turbo live in the Real World, he had heard _nothing_ but earfuls of people griping about why _they_ couldn't go live there as well or, from the opposite side, about how crazy he must be to allow someone so dangerous to live amongst real people.

Especially that one person, ugh, he didn't even want to think about that little jerk. Jealous because a villain was more popular than him...join the club, fella, villains always have a large fan gathering whether their haters like it or not. Not to mention, he seemed overly upset about a possible relationship with his guardian. To be honest, Mickey didn't even care if they did or not. He never even thought about it until that guy mentioned it!

What people did outside their movie-verses was really none of his business unless it became an issue of course, _then_ he would step in. This was almost as bad as that time Amos Slade and Widow Tweed declared their feelings for each other and all the villains pitched a fit about him wanting to renounce villainy in its entirety, so much so that he didn't even consider himself a villain anymore which many found ludicrous. Mickey hadn't had a problem with it at all, after all his entire reason for having this rehab center was to help reform villains or at least help them with their underlying issues, so Amos was practically the first successful one.

Okay he had a little help from his lady friend, but that was beside the point.

Mickey had more important things to worry about than people's relationships or lack thereof. He, thankfully, hadn't heard anything else from that particular Anti-Turbo person in a while so hopefully he had decided to leave it alone and get on with his life.

* * *

**"Mystery Man's" POV**

Two months.

It's been two months since I began plotting out my next scheme in ruining Turbo's perfect life. Going back and forth between the Real World and Disney World is tiresome, more than I thought it would be. If I stay among the humans for too long, then people back at home would be suspicious. I can't have anyone finding out about this.

Though, I do get the feeling I'm being watched sometimes and that makes me paranoid. Is someone onto me? Did I slip up somewhere? Will they tattle on me and ruin all my hard work? Well, if I catch them first, then they won't have to worry about ANYTHING because they will cease to exist.

The Villains' Ball is coming up soon, that abomination of a celebratory event. Real smart idea, get all the villains together in one place and unsupervised for one night so they can plot and wreck havoc on the world. I'm not stupid enough to think that I can take them all on, not right now. Ruining Turbo is my main objective right now and once I succeed in popping a pin in his cushy bubble, I'll work on bigger things. One villain at a time, after all.

Too bad I'm not a giant or else I'd just squash the lot of them like bugs.

One thing I learned about Turbo's little "pet" was that any personal information about her is extremely hard to come by. This chick is the living embodiment of a combination lock, her private life (including past) locked away behind a code...good thing codes were made to be broken. I overheard the mentioning of a best friend that lived several hours away, far enough to way to where she wouldn't notice her missing for a while.

It took me about two weeks to track this person down, since I'm not familiar with the geography in this world, and boy let me tell you I was surprised that Turbo's girl was even FRIENDS with this person. The house she lived in was an eyesore to say the least, with shingles missing off the roof and paint chipped off the paint so much that you'd think it was done on purpose. The yard was weedy and in definite need of a mow yet the car sitting under the dilapidated carport was brand new. Puh, humans, they spend all their money on one shiny thing but the let the rest go to pot.

A scrawny brunette with a freckled face answered the door, dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept well. Her dull brown eyes only had a moment to widen slightly in surprise before I-

"Good evening, ma'am, sorry to bother you at this hour but I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

I was very polite in my tone, even smiling as I said it. What I REALLY wanted to do was punch her in her nonexistent gut but seeing as I'm in the Real World, I can't exactly do that.

Skinny Bones only lowered her eyes at me, clearly displeased that I had disturbed her. "Aren't you that guy from that mov-"

"Yes, I'm from 'that movie'," I answered her with an eye roll before she could finish inquiring. "But that's beside the point. Now, I need some information from you and if you're a good girl, I'll play nice in return."

She scowled at me further, her hand tensing up from its position on the doorknob. "I'm not tellin' you JACK, now if you don't get off my porch I'm gonna come back out here with my glock and-"

I should've known she wouldn't be cooperative; women never are. I whipped out the handheld teleportation device that I had swiped from Mickey, typing in the code that would take me to an unknown portion of Disney World that not many dared to traverse to: Mickey Junk Mountain in the Wasteland. Skinny Bones stopped barking at me and started asking me what I was doing but it was too late. I had grabbed her by her wrist and in an instant we were both-

* * *

**Bestie's POV**

Where the (censored) am I?

Getting woke up by some turd muffin in a cardigan isn't my everyday evening. I'm supposed to be going to the club with my new man in a couple hours, and he's my first date in two months, I ain't got time for no bullcrap!

What kind of place is this, there's stupid Mickey Mouse memorabilia laying around and it isn't even properly cared for; it's all dirty and gross and stuff. Oh the Turd Muffin's still here, the one asking about my friend who lives upstate. I jerked up to my feet and grabbed a piece of debris that looked sharp, pointing it out ahead of me like a knife.

"I'm gonna stab you in the eye if you come near me again!" I hollered at him. "Don't think I won't!"

Turd Muffin huffed snootily like one of those prissy cheerleaders I used to go to high school with and he straightened his outfit up. I hate a man that takes as good care of himself as a woman. "I don't take threats from _trash_," he dared say to me, waving a hand out over our location. "And conveniently, this happens to be an appropriate setting for you."

Oh, he done said the wrong thing now. I don't take that kinda talk from nobody, not even my own daddy can get away with it anymore.

"Tell me where I am and what you want before I cut you!"

The man that looked like he could pass as a chibi version of Hitler actually _laughed_ at me. Does this fool think I'm playin'? He shook his head at me and came closer to me in his unnatural style of walking, almost like he was a robot or something.

"Go ahead...cut me," he dared me, this sneer slapped on his face that irritated the fire outta me. "Won't matter, I'll just heal up in a matter of seconds. It's impossible for me to die, you see, being a reusable character and all. Perhaps you haven't heard about our sequel yet?"

He wasn't genuinely asking me this, he was saying in the snottiest way imaginable. I didn't even care what he was saying, it was just mindless blabber that wasn't of any importance to me. He picked up the broken head of an old Mickey doll, one of those real hard ones not a plushie, and started passing it back and forth between his hands.

"Look, d-bag," I growled impatiently, still holding out my makeshift weapon in front of me. "I don't know what's going on here but-"

Next thing I knew, I was seeing stars. Turd Muffin had reared back and threw his doll head at my face with surprising force and I instinctively threw my hands up to my face, dropping the debris-knife in the process. I felt a punch right in my gut, knocking the wind outta me; the turd is stronger than I gave him credit for! I hadn't expected this attack and I went to my knees, cursing myself for showing a sign of weakness in front of some d-bag _man_. I hugged my arms around my stomach as I gasped for air, hearing my kidnapper (ha! Never dreamed I'd be kidnapped by some ugly schmuck! Why couldn't he have been hot?) walk around me in a circle but far out of my reach for obvious reasons.

"I'll tell you what's 'going on here'," he said to me in this calm voice that made me want to strangle him with a piece of rope, "You're going to tell me the information I need to know about your friend and _maybe_ I'll let you live."

Maybe? What does he mean 'maybe'?

"I...thought you..." Crap, I hate being rendered helpless! I told myself I wasn't going to be like this anymore! "Couldn't kill people..."

I was rewarded with another bash to the face, this one breaking my nose. Hot dang, where does he get his strength from? I should be able to kick him like a football!

"You obviously haven't been informed of the fact that when you're in Disney World, we _can _hurt you," he answered me snidely. "Reason? You're a _virus _when you're here. You humans don't belong in our world so the world naturally treats you like a virus...so in that case, when one of you gets hurt hear, the alarms don't go off because let's be honest no one wants _viruses_ around. It's in the nature to be _deleted_."

I have no idea what this lapdog is yapping about but I've heard enough crazy for one day. I struggled to get to my feet, my eyes blurry from the tears that I was shamefully crying (I had made a promise to myself long ago to never let a man make me cry again, but I guess it's all right this time since it's the broken nose making me cry) and that's when I felt him push against my legs to knock me down. I gritted my teeth upon landing, Mickey Mouse's face smiling at me in all directions as if mocking my moment of weakness, and I kicked back against my attacker. He grabbed my ankle and twisted it _hard_, making me scream embarrassingly like a girl.

"That's more like it," he said lowly, keeping a strong grip on my leg with enough pressure to break it. Where is this guy from, Krypton? "Now...does your little friend have anyone in her past that would want to hurt her? I know she does, _everyone_ has one of those."

The name that immediately came to mind was Guy Peoples but like I was going to spill the beans about him! "Forget it, chunky!"

That earned me another ankle twist; I tried desperately to reach out and grab that knife I had adopted but it was too far now. He was twisting it harder now, my bones feeling like they were on the brink of breaking. When I kicked him with my other leg, he _bit_ me! Literal ankle-biter! _  
_

"Give me a name and all your pain will go away," he was telling me in this soothing voice that I knew had to be fake. "Anyone she'd rather not see again? Old boyfriend perhaps? You can tell me."

I shook my head briskly, not about to tell this creep anything. I heard him growl in frustration. "You stupid tramp, you realize I can cripple you, don't you? You can either tell me a name with your legs intact or _not, _it's entirely up to you."

* * *

**Mystery Man's POV**

After an hour of undergoing my brand of interrogation tactics, the scrawny girl finally caved in. She only had one broken ankle but it was enough to get what I wanted. Some friend.

I knocked her out cold before dragging her into a small cavern hidden away on the far side of the mountain...no one lived up here or even visited the place so I didn't have to worry about anyone happening upon her. She had her cell on her so I swiped that so she couldn't call for help or warn her friend about my plans. Oh look, and the blonde is calling now. Sorry, Scrawny can't answer right now! I chuckled happily when I hit the "ignore" button.

It wasn't like Scrawny could go anywhere with a broken ankle either but just to be sure I broke the other one just to be on the safe side. Ha, let's see her try crawling away like THAT.

Now...I need to find a certain police officer.


	67. Guy's Phone Call

_AquaTheCat_: _Well, she held up for about an hour, it's not like she could really go anywhere or do anything with someone stronger than her holding her prisoner. It's only natural to cave in eventually, unless you're one of those Navy SEAL people._

_Everybody else...you'll just have to wait and see! :P_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Guy Peoples walked into his home that morning, having just returned from a surprisingly easy night at work; he only had to issue a few traffic tickets, or a warning if the woman driving was attractive enough, and the rest of his night was filled with occupying himself with his Netflix subscription on his iPad. The wife was off visiting some relatives, taking those two boys of hers with her, which left him home alone for a couple of weeks.

In the past, he wouldn't have minded a vacation from his marital life but now he had no one he could readily call upon to be his "distraction". The last few girls, barely out of high school, had moved on to guys more their age which really irked him; it made him nostalgic for those years with his favorite doll, the one that had never strayed too far from him and learned early on that he was the boss. Oh there had been a few times where she'd attempted to break off from him, but it never lasted long. She was meant to have someone dominate over her, otherwise she was lost and confused in the big ol' world full of things she didn't understand and she'd always come running back when things proved to be too much to handle out there on her own. So long as she obeyed his rules, she'd have been perfectly fine.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" he'd say each time. "I'm the only one who can understand you...nobody else wants to put as much effort into a relationship with you because you're so full of issues. Now stay here with me and you won't be hurt by those people. But if you leave again, I guarantee I won't take you back because I'm starting to get tired of you being unappreciative of all the time I put into being with you.

Then came the day she quit accepting his calls all together, cutting him off cold turkey. It was several years ago, not long after he'd heard she'd moved upstate. At first he thought she was trying to once again prove that she could make it without any help, and he had secretly humored her by letting her do this. She would call him soon, he had thought at the time, begging him to come and save her from the cruel hard world. Weeks without a word from her turned into months and months turned into years. She didn't even have the same phone number anymore. That friend of hers, who he hated immensely as she was a stubborn soul that refused to bow down to him. She wouldn't tell him any information about his doll's whereabouts, and to be honest he was so outraged at this betrayal of hers (and betray him, she did, she left without so much as a good-bye which he thought was very rude after all the trouble he'd had with her) that he had purposely forgotten about her.

But then came the day where he had to travel upstate for a friend's party a few months ago and he had, out of curiosity, looked up her address in a phone book. He'd pay her a visit, he'd thought, perhaps seeing him would make her remember where she belonged and that was with _him_. So he'd gone to her apartment only to see that she obviously didn't live there anymore, or so said the fellow...man...creature...whatever he was that had answered the door.

To be fair, Guy _had_ been drinking a bit that night so perhaps he was only seeing things when he saw a man, a bit shorter than himself, with grey skin and yellow eyes open the door to him. He had looked like an alien of some sort, like the ones from those corny sci-fi flicks Guy had watched on TV as a boy, but he had told himself that he had to have been seeing things so he shrugged it off.

The "alien" had informed him that his doll no longer resided at that address and for a while, Guy had been content with that. It later aggravated him that he had been so close to collecting her only for her to slip from his grasp, which only meant that whatever control he had once had on her had diminished completely. She didn't want to be found, obviously, and that had rather irritated him since he had put so much work and effort into molding her into his perfect pet.

Now in a foul mood, he was more than glad that his wife was away...no, he took that back; if she hadn't have gone away, then he wouldn't be sitting here on the edge of his bed thinking of his lost doll. He was going to have to have a talk with her about these little trips of hers.

The phone ringing was the only thing to snap him out of his now cloudy mood, ripping the device from its holder that he had on his gunbelt. He cocked a brow at the unknown number; more than likely it was a telemarketer even though he had _told those people many times_ not to call him ever again. This put him in a worse mood than he had been before and, feeling the need to yell at someone, he answered it anyway.

"Not interested in anything you got."

"_Is that a fact, Mr. Peoples?_" replied a whiny, sniveling voice that Guy did not recognize. Whoever it was, they sounded like a pompous slimeball, kinda like his Chief could be. "_I think you might be VERY interested in what I have to tell you_."

The fact that this joker knew his name alarmed him; being a cop, he kept his phone number and address private as to prevent possible felons that he had put behind bars from attempting to stalk him at his home in revenge. Instinctively reaching for his gun, he cautiously headed to one of the front windows and used the gun to pull the blinds down enough for him to take a quick glance outside, seeing if anything stood out from the ordinary.

"Who is this?" he demanded as he moved to another room in the house, taking a peek out of those windows also only to not see anything.

_"Ahh, NOW you want to know_," said the stranger in a irritatingly snide voice, insinuating that he enjoyed the notion that his identity was a secret. "_Never mind who I am or how I got this number. You'd never be able to find me anyway_."

"Get to the point, pal," Guy snapped unintentionally; if this was some psychopath that was trying to harm him, the last thing he wanted to do was anger him _too_ much, and he cursed himself at his brief slip. _Gotta stay in control of the situation...calm down..._

He heard a faint chuckle from the other end of the line, then, "_Excellent, a man that cuts to the chase. I like that. Actually, despite what your assumptions may be right now, I'm calling you to HELP you. Let's just say, I happen to know where a certain ex-girlfriend of yours lives. Blonde hair, on the thin side, has an annoying brunette friend? Ring any bells?_"

Guy quit moving instantly, every muscle froze. Funny coincidence, he had only minutes before wondered about her and now here he was getting a mysterious phone call about her. When he gave no answer, the stranger chuckled again, a nerve-grating sound if he'd ever heard one. _"Got your attention, now, don't I? I'll wager with you: I give you the address if you do exactly as I say."_

Guy wasn't sure if he liked the idea of being under a contract with someone he didn't know, his guard still up about this whole scenario. However, the idea of promise of seeing his doll again seemed to override any common sense he might have had and he inquired, "What exactly is it you want done?"

"_There's this guy living with her, he's the one I'm truly after._" The idea that she was _living_ with another _man_ really ticked Guy off. She had moved on even more than he had ever imagined. His grip on her must have all but faded by now. All that hard work he put into it... "_He's under probation and if he hurts someone, he goes back to prison. I need you to rough up the girl and...this is IMPORTANT so listen close...I need HIM to hurt YOU. That's the only guarantee that he'll be out of the picture. Don't attack him until he hits you but don't kill the guy. I want him to suffer in that dark cold prison cell that he deserves to be in."_

"Why are you choosing me?" Guy wondered out loud after letting the story soak into his head. "Why not find someone else to do this?"

_"You have a personal history with this girl, so you're the only logical choice. I hired a random once and he botched the job completely, so I'm asking YOU instead."_

Guy pondered on this, pacing back and forth in his bedroom now as he mentally weighed his options. On one hand, it was no question that he now wanted to see her again and put her back in his place. The thought that his control had slipped so much really peeved him off and he felt a desperate need to regain it. On the other, there was a very high chance he could lose his job if things go wrong and there were more than one witness around to attest that he had been attacking these two individuals.

Oh but he could always get out of trouble before, he had been caught so many times in the girls' dorms at the college he worked at that he could have been easily fired _years_ ago for breaking the employee-student rules. He was smart, he could cook up a lie to get him out of trouble on this one.

"Fine, I'll do it," he remarked tensely. "Now give me the address."

Upon hearing it, he grimaced to himself and let out an aggravated sigh. "I already went there once earlier this year. She doesn't live there anymore. Some goofy looking guy said so."

"_You idiot, I just told you she was living with someone!_" the other man hissed. "_Did he have grey skin and yellow eyes? Because THAT'S the guy that I'M after._"

Guy blinked and stopped his pacing momentarily when he heard this. So...he really _hadn't_ been seeing things that night...the alien really existed...

"You mean...that guy was _real_?" he asked in stunned amazement. "How is that poss-"

_"Never mind all that! Time's ticking and I'm growing impatient. Are you going down there or not?"_

He had been lied to...that _alien_ had lied to him about her whereabouts. That angered him deeply. Oh, he had messed with the wrong person. Never lie to Guy Peoples.

The bitter cop bit the inside of his cheek, his dark blue eyes narrowed down. "Yes. I'm going. And don't worry, your guy will be back in prison in no time."


	68. The Future is Near

_That Guest Person: I wondered about you a few times actually! Glad to see you didn't disappear completely :P_

_betheleaf: lol well, this DID start off as a parody, so I figured I might as well retain some aspect of it and keep up with the goofy "real world" people aliases! I haven't even given "blondie's" real name :P  
_

_**Everyone else...get ready...we're about to start really rolling...  
**_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**Turbo's POV**

Once again, I found myself having to engage in conversation with this character by the name of Goofy via telephone. I did some research on the internet this time to better prepare myself and once I felt I was ready, I dialed the number for the Call-A-Character Hotline.

You know, I wonder if this is how that goon in Florida got my number? He had called me, remember, and…oh never mind, I don't even want to remember that guy.

Anyway, once Goofy answered the phone, I introduced myself in my King Candy voice so he'd remember me. Have I mentioned that I HATE using that voice? I have a good mind to hunt down my voice actor and give him a stern talking to about making me talk like that.

"Hoohoo, it'sth King Candy! Remember me?"

I heard that unmistakable chuckle-hiccup-laugh thing that could only belong to Goofy and then, _"Hyuk, well hello there, Mister King Candy! I haven't heard from you in…wait a minute_." All of a sudden he sounded very serious. "_You can't be King Candy! He's not even a real character!"_

The forced grin I had been wearing fell upon hearing this. "What!" I exclaimed in my normal voice. "What are you talking about?"

"_I sat down and watched your movie a few weeks ago and King Candy isn't even real! He's some guy named Turbo that was disguised like him! And that means you're lying when you say you're King Candy because he doesn't exist_!"

I smacked myself in the face, my temper having surfaced to the brink in record time. "Listen up, you chuckling chowderhead! Turbo and King Candy are the same person so when I say I'm King Candy, I also mean that I'm Turbo and that's ME!"

There was silence on the other end of the line while I breathed heavily in an attempt to calm down. At last, I heard, "_Well, garsh, why didn't you say so to begin with? How is a fella supposed to keep up with all these aliases?"_

I rubbed at my temple with my free hand, relaxing into the couch now. "Can I just please talk to Amos Slade?" I asked in a tired manner. "I need to ask him something."

"_Huh, Mister Slade, he doesn't get too many phoney calls, but here ya go_!"

I muttered a 'thank you' but he had already disconnected me and after a few seconds I heard another phone ring. I sat up a bit straighter on the couch and Kitty came waltzing up to me to curl in my lap, rubbing her face against my hand that wasn't holding the phone. Blondie's gone to the store to pick up a few things, by the way, and I want to get this done before she gets back.

Instead of a man answering the phone, an elderly woman did. This must be the lady that everyone was saying Amos fell in love with, so much so that he insisted being cut off from the other villains. Hopefully the same can happen with ME.

"Sorry to bother you, Miss….uh…," I glanced down at my cheat sheet with this particular movie's characters' names written down on it. "Ms. Tweed. I was wanting to talk to your…." I wasn't sure what the current status of their relationship was. "Uh….husband? Boyfriend?"

She let out a girlish chuckle and replied, "_Oh, I think we're both a tad old to be called girlfriend-boyfriend. Amos isn't at the house right now, he's out with the dogs. Is there something I can help you with, dear?"_

Bummer, I had hoped to talk to a fellow villain about this but I suppose she'll have to do. "I think you might can help. I'm Turbo from _Wreck-It Ralph_, by the way, I don't know if you've heard of it or know anything about it, but I'm the film's villain."

Her tone changed from that of grandma-friendly to one of caution. "_Oh dear, we don't have anything to do with the villains. Amos ostracized himself years ago and we keep to ourselves without bothering anyone so if this has anything to do with-"_

"Whoa whoa, back up," I hastily interrupted her. "THAT'S what I want to talk to him about. I want to exclude myself from the villains, too."

"_Oh, is that so?" _she asked me in what seemed to be a surprised tone. "_Well_, _in that case, good luck. It took a good number of years for Amos to finally get himself disassociated with the villains group. He was never really a villain anyway, at least not what I would call one; he was reformed by the time the movie had ended even though he was rather grumpy about that steel trap on his foot."_

She sighed lightly before continuing. "_He'd refused to go to that rehab center, which was strangely enough up to Tod and Copper to decide if he should go or not. Funny thing is, even though everybody else can hear them talk, we still can't. I guess it's part of our character that we can't hear them, but that's another story. We all talked it over, with Mickey having to translate for the animals for our benefit and Amos flat out refused to go because he didn't think of himself as a villain even though officially he WAS one. _

"_So, he stayed here with me, becoming good friends along the way. It took about ten years for us to realize that we loved each other as more than friends and by that time, Amos was even more determined to segregate himself from the villains. He'd been forced to at least attend some of the social functions and he'd hated every second of it. It was sometime in the late 90s, I believe, that he finally got his request and was to no longer be bothered in any way."_

My heart sank when she mentioned how long it had taken for him to get what he wanted. "You mean I have to deal with it for YEARS? I have to be forced to go to probation meetings and villain parties for YEARS until I can get permission to leave?"

"_Well, Amos never went to a probation meeting if I must be honest. If you're a villain who changed his ways during the movie's events, you don't have to do that."_

Well that stinks. Guess I'm stuck doing those for the rest of my life.

"_Why do YOU want to get out of it anyway?"_

I sighed and, without thinking, I dug out a small black box that I'd kept hidden in the couch cushions so Blondie wouldn't find it. It's her Christmas present...I bought it a couple weeks ago before all my money was depleted, but she doesn't know that THIS is what I spent it all on. I flipped up the little lid on the box and looked at what was inside while I talked.

"Long story short, I fell in love and I'd like to stay where SHE is. I feel out of place around the others and I've got the feeling that they don't exactly like me either."

"_Oh, they're just jealous. Don't pay them any mind. Just keep being good and bring up that you want out of it, and eventually Mickey will let you go. You're still fairly new so maybe he just needs more time to be convinced that you've really changed."_

I smiled faintly, knowing she was trying to make me feel better. I closed the box's lid and stuffed it back deep in the cushion, and Kitty started trying to investigate immediately. I had to gently shoo her away; can't have her giving away the surprise, can I?

"I just hope it doesn't take ten years."

"_I'm sure it won't. Mickey knows it's possible for villains to change their ways and it would be cruel to keep a changed person around the folks that they are trying to stay away from. He knows that."_

I certainly hope so.

* * *

**Blondie's POV**

It's been a long time since I'd been out to the old parking lot that Turbo claimed as his personal racetrack. It was going to be dark in a couple hours, but Turbs had set up a series of lights that were bright enough to light the lot up but not so bright that it would alert any authorities. After all, this place (like a lot of other abandoned places) is off limits for visiting purposes and we didn't want to get in trouble for being out here. Still, it's been quite a few months since we first found this place and no one has given us any trouble about yet, so maybe our good luck will stretch out for a while to come.

Me (to Bestie): _guess what? About 2 learn how 2 parallel park! Wish us BOTH luck :P lol_

I haven't heard from Bestie in a while. She's probably busy with some new man; she gets a new one every three or four months, and she usually spends all her waking hours with them the first few weeks. After the "honeymoon phase" wears off, I'll finally hear from her again and it'll be nothing but glowing praise about this guy and how "he's the one" and yadda yadda yadda. A few more months of this and she'll start to think he's either cheating on her or he has something else to hide, which is usually the case anyway, and then it'll be right back to square one where she's single for a few weeks until the next guy rolls around. It's a little hard to keep track over which is guy is which after a while, especially if she goes back to one of the exes to try for round two or three. I'm so glad I'm not like that.

Turbs had found some old orange construction cones back when he and my siblings had helped clean this place up, having stowed them away just inside the entrance to the "haunted" school. At present, he was setting them up to create a more pronounced parking space so I could practice parking in it.

I have to say, I'm rather nervous about this. I mean, wouldn't _you_ be? I know he's my boyfriend and all now, but this is the _greatest racer ever_ here. I'd feel like a complete idiot if I didn't learn how to do this after a minimum of five tries. I can't even imagine how those students at that driving school are going to be when they get him as a teacher! I'd be petrified!

Turbo dusted his hands off once he was done and trotted back over to the car where I was still sitting in the passenger seat, wringing my hands together in my lap and trying to stop my legs from shaking.

"I still can't believe you never learned how to do this," he commented with a small shake of the head.

"The teacher claimed she didn't have time to teach it to me that day and it just never got done," I shrugged in explanation. "It's not hard to do, is it?"

Turbs let out an amused laugh. "Not to a professional, it's not." I must've had a worried look on my face because he reached over to pry my hands apart and then squeeze one. "It's not hard, I promise. Besides, you got _me_ as a teacher so by the time we're out of here, you'll be the best parallel parker ever!"

He tossed a wide grin at the end of his pep talk, eliciting a giggle out of me. "We might be here all night though."

He rolled his eyes in good humor. "Like it's a _bad_ thing to stay up all night with me."

I gave him a light punch in the shoulder, a small smirk on my face. "I better be the only student of yours that gets any evening lessons."

"I swear on _Turbo Time's_ grave," he joked, crossing his heart with a finger. "Ya ready to get schooled?"

I took in a breath, glancing at those orange cones sitting out on the lot. "Ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

**One Hour Later**

I cringed when I hit the cones again…I'd lost count after the tenth time. Seeing as how the cones represent another vehicle and/or the sidewalk curb, it was of upmost importance that I do this _without_ hitting them. I felt like such a dunderhead every time Turbs had to put a cone back in place.

"You only knocked_ one_ over this time anyway," he tried to cheer me up as he backed himself up away from the scene. "Keep going, all you gotta do is swing the front end in there and you're in."

This turned out a lot harder than I thought it would be. I either didn't back up enough or I'd go _too_ much or I'd swing the _front_ end too much….either way, I massacred these poor cones.

Silly as it sounds, I was too scared to move, mostly because this was extremely embarrassing and I was tired of making a fool of myself. I don't think a full minute had even gone by before Turbs finally walked over to the side of the car and reached over me to put it in 'park'.

"All right, sit up and let me in."

I jerked my head upwards and sideways so I could look him in the face. "Don't you mean 'move over'?"

He was wearing a playful grin which I wasn't sure if I trusted or not. "No, I mean 'sit up'. I'm gonna sit behind you and help you out."

Okay I know we've been together for a while now but…we haven't exactly progressed to "lap sitting" yet. That might sound really weird but-

"You want me to _sit_ in your _lap_?" I stressed, wanting to verify that this is in fact what he is talking about.

The grin got a little bigger. "That's not exactly what I meant, but that _does_ sound nice."

I'm pretty sure my face was red by now and without even waiting on me to answer him, he swung the door open and pushed me on my back to get me to scoot up so he could get in behind me. Sweet Lord, why do these things always happen to me? I mean, not that I'm complaining, but….oh for Pete's sake, if I'm perfectly fine with cuddles, I should be perfectly fine with _this_. I'm not even sitting _on_ him so there.

He had to move the seat back a little bit before shutting the door best he could, making this situation more cramped than it already was, and he put his hands over mine, which were still gripping the steering wheel.

"Just turn the wheel now," he instructed me calmly, forcing me to do it as he said it. "Keep your foot on the brake while you do it."

I'm going to die of a heart attack; that's how hard my heart was beating in my chest.

"Now just _gently_ let go of the wheel and the brake at the same time, and then _ease_ the car into the spot."

He had to practically pry my hands off the wheel in order to do this, helping me out still, and (darn him, resting his head on my shoulder, the little sneak)…we parked. I didn't knock anything over this time. He straightened up the front tires before shifting to park.

"Well look at you, you parallel parked!" he congratulated me, wrapping his arms around my waist to hug and putting his head on my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes but I reclined backwards anyway, hugging my arms over his as I tried to relax. I could feel his heart beating into my back, the rhythms almost identical to each other. I lolled my head to the side against his, which would've been more comfortable without his helmet on, and sighed deeply.

"Yeah, when I had _help_," I pointed out a bit drearily, looking up at the darkening sky. Stars would be coming out soon.

"I _barely_ helped," he insisted as he rubbed my arms. There was a hint of a chill in the evening air and I probably should've brought a jacket. Of course _he_ was perfectly fine in his racing gear. "And before you ask, you're the only student allowed to sit on my lap."

I smiled faintly, letting my eyes close to rest for a moment. "I'm sitting more in _front_ of you than _on _you but thanks for reassurance."

He poked me in my ribs to get a giggle out of me before hugging me tighter. We sat in silence for a few seconds before he said, "I'm gonna talk to Mickey about how I can stay here…and not do any more probation stuff."

I furrowed my brow at that, worming out of his hug so I could sit up and turn around to see his face. "But…I thought we needed to keep 'us' a secret. In case someone was-"

"Blondie, it's been almost three months since the Florida incident," he disrupted me in a composed tone, one of his hands rubbing on my lower back. "If someone was after us, they would've made a move by now."

I waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello, earth to Turbo, you realize that when you let your guard down, that's when all the crap happens. Come on, surely _you_ know that more than anyone else!"

"If you're referring to me not expecting Vanellope to join the roster race, or even recognizing her right away, then that was a 'scripted' moment of stupidity on my part."

"I'm not talking about-" He moved his hand from my back to my face, letting his thumb graze my cheekbone.

"Honey, it'll be _fine_," he said in a firm yet soft voice. "If one villain can do it, surely another one can."

I knew he was referring to Amos Slade but-

"You sure Mickey will let you?" I asked him quietly, taking his hand off my face and curling it up in my own. "Stay here without any further obligations?"

"I don't know, but we gotta try it." I didn't have to look up at the sky to know that it was getting even darker, because Turbo's eyes were starting to glow a little. "Otherwise, he's eventually going to make me live in my movie-verse again, which I know _neither_ of us want. We're lucky he hasn't made me already."

I sighed to myself, knowing he was right. "You really don't want to go back there? Not even to race around _Sugar Rush_ at full speed and no cops to worry about?"

He cocked a smile at that. "I admit I do sometimes miss _really _racing, but if it required me having to live with people that I don't really associate myself with, I'm not sure if I'd enjoy it that much. I mean, I can't race _all_ day, you know, I gotta have somewhere to bunk afterwards."

He lightly poked my nose with a finger when he said that last part, getting a smile out of me. "You almost sound like you're trying to convince me to _not_ stay," he said in jest.

I rested my hands on his shoulders. "Of course I want you to stay. I'm just worried something will go wrong, is all."

"Sometimes you worry too much," Turbs smiled at me, reaching his hands up to cup my face.

"And sometimes _you_ don't worry _enough,_" I countered back with my own little smile before leaning down and planting a kiss on him. _Sigh_, I could kiss him all day if it was possible.

"That's what I got _you_ for," he whispered when I pulled back, wrapping his arms around my waist now so he could hug me. "Love you."

I nuzzled against the side of his face, having to shift my legs to get more comfortably relaxed against him. "Love you, too."

We sat there like that for a few minutes, the only sound that could be heard was the orchestra produced by the crickets, grasshoppers, and other various insects. I love peaceful moments like this; no worries, no outside interference, just me and him.

"Don't go to sleep on me, bedbug," Turbo suddenly told me, breaking the silence between us, and poking at my shoulder a little bit.

I elicited a whine, snuggling closer to him. "I wasn't asleep."

"_Yet,_ anyway." He rubbed my back a few times with both hands. "Come on now, we need to go home before the mosquitoes eat us alive."

I smiled lazily, keeping my eyes shut. "Greatest racer ever can't drive with a girl sleeping in his lap? How embarrassing."

Turbs let out a brief chuckle at that. "I've never tried it, and I'm not starting _now_. This would be the one night that I get into a bad accident and then you wouldn't be buckled up."

"_Now_ who's the worrywart?" I kidded with him, giving him a quick cheek kiss before shifting myself off of him and crawling into the passenger seat.

"Hey, _you're_ the one who said once your guard is down, that's when the bad stuff happens," he replied back in a semi-smart aleck tone, throwing a grin at me to let me know it was a joke.

I refrained from rolling my eyes, instead tapping my fingers against the side of his helmet playfully before I buckled myself up.

"You can cuddle on me all you want when we get home though," he added, obvious hope attached to his voice.

I had to laugh at that. "Okay, Turby Bear, I'll take you up on that."

We're such dorks sometimes; but I wouldn't have it any other way. I really don't know what I'd do if something happened to split us up.

I checked my phone while we drove home…Bestie hadn't responded yet. Gee, if I didn't know better, I'd think something had happened to her.

* * *

Soon as we got home from our parallel-parking adventure, I turned the TV on to see if anything good was coming on while Turbo dumped his helmet on the couch and went to scrounge around in the kitchen for a snack.

"_Jurassic Park_'s coming on in half an hour," I informed him out loud. That's one of my favorite movies so we were definitely watching it. "It's about a theme park with real dinosaurs in it, you should like it."

"We're out of popcorn!" I heard him whine from the kitchen. "It's a sin to watch a movie without popcorn!"

I laughed softly, shaking my head. He's just like my dad when it comes to movies and popcorn; one without the other is simply unheard of. "Okay, chill out a second." I got up to grab my wallet out of my purse and pull out a ten dollar bill to hand to him. "That should be plenty to buy a small box at the store."

He stuffed in his pocket, still wearing his racing suit, and he gave me a quick kiss on my forehead. "Be_ right_ back," he promised, grabbing his keys from the counter again and exiting out the door.

I locked the door after him, and Kitty came up to rub at my ankles; I picked her up to hug for a little while before I started digging out some extra blankets from my bottom dresser drawer. She kept wanting to nest on them even after I would move her out of the way, silly cat. I finally won the battle of the blankets and threw them onto the couch before I heard the door knock.

I froze when I heard it, not having expected a knock on the door so late. Kitty's fur raised and she slinked herself out of the living room and disappeared under my bed to her hiding spot. Weird, was Turbs already back from the store? That was fast. Why doesn't he just use his key to unlock the door?

Oh, he must be trying to play a trick on me. He's such a sneak, always trying to spook me. Well, I'm going to get him first, that's what I'm going to do!

I grinned mischievously, tiptoeing towards the door just in case he was able to hear me coming. I bit my lip to sustain a giggle, then quietly unlocked the door. I took a breath in, getting ready to scare the daylights out of him (which is probably what he was doing on the other side of the door anyway). I finally swung the door open and-

The color drained my face and my heart stopped.

Guy had one hand against my door frame, propping himself up lazily against it, a leering smile on his face as he looked down at me with those dark blue eyes I had hoped to never see again. "Hello, doll," he quietly greeted me in that overly sweet voice he used to use on me all the time. "Long time, no see."


	69. Gone

_Guest #1: lol I normally don't read fics like this one either; this started off as a crack fic that turned into a soap opera somehow. I'm still baffled that people read this thing because really this IS the type of fic that people usually hate._

_apple: "The Fox and the Hound" was my favorite Disney movie before "Wreck-It Ralph" so I definitely recommend it. I used to write fics for it as well.  
_

_Original Princess: hehe I can always change my mind, right? :P _

**Buckle up, guys, here we go...**

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

_"Hello, doll...long time, no see."_

About three seconds after processing that Guy was standing in my doorway, I forcefully slammed the door in his face. Unfortunately, Guy is a lot stronger than I am so I never did get it shut completely. He was pressing back hard against the door while I was throwing my entire weight against the other side, my heart pounding and my breath held as I tried desperately to keep him out.

"Go away!" I yelled at him in a strained voice, all my muscles and energy being used to hold up the door. "Just leave me _alone_!"

"This isn't a very polite way to receive guests!"

"You're _not_ and _never will be_ a guest!"

He must be completely out of his mind if he thinks he's welcome here! Why did he even come back? Turbo had told him I don't live here anymore way back when I had gone to Texas...what possessed him to return?

My strength wasn't going to hold up much longer; even though Guy's _much_ older than me, he's still one of those cops that goes to the gym every day and works out, so there's no way little ol' me can keep this up. I turned myself to where my back would be against the door, frantically surveying my living room for any potential weapons I could use. On my breakfast bar, just barely out of my reach, was my car keys. My pepper spray! I keep it on my keyring...if only I could reach it and get it ready for use before Guy had a chance to actually bust in here.

I picked one leg up and propped it up against the door so I could keep pressing on it, then inched my other leg forward so I could lean over towards my bar better. My arms stretched out, the muscles in it burning from the unusual position, and I struggled to reach my keys. I briefly lamented the fact that my phone was on the opposite side of the room, too far away for me to get it at the moment.

"Come on...come on," I muttered to myself as I tried to make my fingers stretch out to their full length, barely able to touch the short lanyard that the whole key set is attached to.

"Stop being a child and let me in!" Guy was growling at me. "You're overreacting as usual!"

I could feel the door start to give way as he continued to press against it. Visuals of Jack Nicholson axing the door down in _The Shining_ while Shelley Duvall screamed bloody murder began to float through my mind. My teeth gritted as I felt my strength slipping; there was no way I could keep him out. I dared to ease forward a little more, my fingers grazing at the keys. Come on, just a little more...

Got them!

I clutched the keys to my chest as I slammed my back against the door again, hoping to regain some of the foothold I'd had earlier. I shakily removed the small bottle of mace from its holder and made myself be sure to hold it to where, when I sprayed, I wouldn't be shooting myself in the face by accident. Guy had wormed one of his hands into the door at this point, feeling around trying to find me. I tried to slam the door back on his arm so it would injure him but it was no use. He had shoved a foot in as well and was slowly maneuvering himself into the apartment.

Might as well stop wasting my strength on keeping him out and focus on my defensive tactics.

Taking in a big breath, and saying a small prayer to myself, I lunged myself forward off of the door and prepared to aim and fire. Guy now had full access to my apartment, an extremely annoyed look on his face and his deep blue eyes piercing into mine. Those same eyes soon closed as pepper spray hit them, an agonized scream tearing out of his throat as he tried to wipe at his temporarily blinded eyes. I kicked him between the legs, forcing him down to his knees before I turned to make a grab for my purse.

I had not expected him to make a comeback so soon though; he reached a hand out and grabbed my ankle, forcing me to trip on myself and land on my stomach. My purse fell onto the floor, the contents spilling out all over my carpet, and I stretched out to grab at my now exposed cell phone. I blindly kicked backwards at Guy with my free leg but he grabbed that one too before pulling me towards him to grab at my waist. I started screaming at this point, thrashing myself ever which-way I could, but it wasn't doing anything to loosen his grip. I still had my pepper spray in my clenched hand...if only I could turn around so I could aim it at him again...

Ha, to think, on Turbo's first day here, I had threatened to use it on _him_!

Guy was no fool though, he held me down with the bulk of his weight and he dug it away from me, throwing it across the room so I couldn't reach it. He was breathing heavily and started hauling me to my darkened bedroom, my feet dragging on the carpet as I attempted to brace myself more. I grabbed at my door frame only he forced my hands off and then immobilized me fully in a backwards body hug of sorts.

"You're making this more complicated than it needs to be," he scolded me in a low voice, throwing the both of us onto my bed before flipping me over onto my back so he could see my face. His eyes were extremely red and watery from my attack on him with the pepper spray, his features curled up into a snarling expression. He looked downright terrifying, and he held me down with his knees and hands so I couldn't maneuver away.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't happy to see me," he managed to smirk at me.

The smirk disappeared when I spit in his face. "You got some nerve coming here and physically assaulting me!"

"_You're_ the one that shot mace in my eyes!" he countered back angrily, his hands digging painfully into my wrists. "You know it's illegal to attack an officer, right?"

His logic was so bizarre that I choked a laugh out. "You're not even on the clock, Guy! Not that it matters, even if you were, you can't just barge into civilians' homes without a reason!"

Guy smiled at me as warmly as he could given the situation, something that used to give me butterflies once upon a time but now it gave me the chills. "Oh, I'm sure I can plant something around here to give me probable cause. Even if I _am_ outside my jurisdiction. I've got buddies here that wouldn't mind sticking up for me."

See what I mean? I _hate_ cops! They're all dirty pigs that help each other!

"But right now..." he leaned his face closer to mine, "Since I'm here, we might as well get reacquainted."

I jerked my head hard to the right just when he decided to crash his lips on me, getting my cheekbone instead of my lips like he'd intended. Filled with disgust, I started screaming again, wishing for the first time ever that the apartment next to mine wasn't vacant so that _someone_ could come in here and help me.

A sickening _thwack!_ filled the air and I felt Guy's head loll off to the side, his whole body suddenly going limp on me. I let out a surprised cry and turned my head to look upwards, my eyes going wide in complete shock.

Oh God. Oh **G****od**.

Turbo was standing there, his hand gripping one edge of his helmet, noticeably trembling all over. His eyes were huge and his jaw was slightly dropped as if he were in as much disbelief as I was. It didn't take long to put two-and-two together and I instantly felt nauseated. I hadn't even heard him come in! I shoved Guy off of me and allowing him to flop onto my carpet almost lifelessly, standing up and grabbing Turbo by the shoulders.

"What have you _done_?" I cried out, my eyes starting to water. Oh God, he hurt someone!

"I'm sorry!" he croaked, dropping his helmet to the floor and looking down at his hands in horror. "I...I heard you screaming and...and I just...I couldn't..."

I grabbed him into a tight hug, crying softly on his shoulder. "It's fine, it's okay. We'll just...explain that you were defending me, that's all. Yeah, that's it, you were came in and saw me in danger and you had to help. They'll understand, they have to."

I was babbling away yet I didn't even believe what I was saying. There's no way Mickey would accept that reasoning. He was going to take Turbo away from here for sure. The thought of never seeing Turbo again made me hug him tighter, my heart wrenching painfully.

"Blondie?" Turbs addressed me in a worried tone. "I...I don't feel so great..."

I popped my eyes open and...oh no. I jerked back some, still keeping my arms around him, and stared at him. He was starting to _disappear_. It was like watching a chalk drawing on the sidewalk fade away from the rain. I could just barely see through him and the effect was intensifying slowly but surely.

"No-no-no-no-no!" I spat out, hugging him to me again as if that would be enough to keep him there. Tears were steadily streaming down my face now, my muscles sore from squeezing him so tight. "Don't go, stay here!"

He weakly wrapped his arms around me, his chin resting on my shoulder. I could hardly feel him anymore, his body getting more transparent by the second. It was like he was literally wasting away into thin air. "I love you, blon-"

Then nothing.

I had been holding onto him so tight that when he disappeared, my arms ended up hugging around myself. I stood there with my eyes wide open and tears still pouring out of them, my breath ragged as I tried to mentally process what just happened.

He was _gone._

_"_No," I muttered to myself, blinking a couple of times. "No, come back...don't leave me here...come back..."

My mind wouldn't allow me to fully believe that he was in fact no longer here. I was in complete denial, stumbling into the next room like a dazed zombie. He couldn't be gone...he was just playing a prank on me, that's all. Yeah, he's just playing one of his little jokes.

He wasn't on the couch, watching a movie or playing a game. He wasn't digging around in the kitchen for a snack. He wasn't outside on my door step, the front door still wide open from earlier. The eerie silence in the apartment was the loudest silence I'd ever heard.

He was really gone...my Turbs was gone...

Numbly, I went back to my bedroom and the sound of a soft groan snapped me out of my stupor. I glanced down at the source and realized I had completely forgotten that Guy had been lying knocked out on my bedroom floor.

**Him.**

This was _his_ fault.

Every bit of my soul suddenly felt intense hatred-filled rage towards him and with gritted teeth, I mustered up all of my remaining strength and started slamming my foot into his gut. I didn't just kick him once though, oh no, this was a repeated motion. I couldn't make myself stop. I didn't want to. I hated him more than I had ever hated any one person in one moment in my life. He deserved this _plus_ some.

"I hate you!" I shouted hoarsely at him as he shielded himself from my kicks. "You pathetic excuse of a life! How dare you! How dare you come in here and take away the one person that meant _everything_ to me!"

I eventually grew exhausted, my legs beginning to feel like jelly and I headed into my kitchen to grab my sharpest knife. I then picked up my cell phone and called 911, telling the operator that there was a man in my apartment and that I had fended him off best I could but the police still needed to come. I hung up and shakily went back to my bedroom where I pointed my weapon at my unwelcome guest.

"You got one minute to get out of here before I gut you, you hear me?" I threatened him in an low, even voice. "That's _sixty seconds_. The police are coming so I wouldn't try anything funny."

He coughed a few times and picked himself up, groaning in pain and holding his stomach. I kept my distance, still pointing the knife at him. "You ever come back here again, I won't be warning you," I promised him.

Guy smiled in a sad sort of way as he stumbled towards my door, me behind him the whole way. He turned around slowly once he got to my doorstep, glancing at me sideways. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you never once loved me."

My anger came back and I swallowed hard. "I never did love you," I stated quietly. "I loved someone that you pretended to be...a mask. But _you_?" I shook my head. "I could never love a _monster_."

I heard the sirens in the distance from the police cars, for once being glad to have them around. The tears on my face had dried, and I felt strangely calm as I glared coldly at my ex, still standing a couple feet away from him.

"Why did you come here?" I had to know.

Guy smiled wryly as the sirens got closer. "A little birdie whispered in my ear that you had someone new. You know I never was too fond of sharing."

Yeah, but he was always perfectly okay with sharing _himself_ with other women though. A birdie? Who could've told him about me and Turbo?

Cops were pulled into the parking lot now, and I placed my knife on the counter so they wouldn't think that_ I_ was the one they had to pull a gun out on. I need to start thinking clearly now, pull myself together. Where could Turbo be? Did he disappear completely from existence? Or did he get teleported somehow to Disney World...part of the whole "magic" thing, if you will. Was he in prison? What was he doing? What was Mickey doing? What was going to happen?

I had so many thoughts running in my head that the whole cops-arresting-Guy scenario was all a blur. They asked me questions like what happened, why does he have a huge knot on the back of his head (I told them a Good Samaritan came in and helped out then ran away), who he was in relation to me, etc. They piled Guy into the back of a squad car but before they could shut the door on him, he looked at me once more with a hint of a smile on his face.

"When can I see you again?"

I didn't have anything else to say to him. I never wanted to speak to him again. All he got from me was me flipping him the bird and then watching me walk away from him.

After the insanity of the police, the silence drowned into me again. I couldn't handle it so I grabbed my cell and texted Bestie again, who _still_ had not responded to anything I had sent her recently.

Me: _where ARE u? turbs and i are in big trouble, i need someone 2 talk 2!_

I jumped out of my skin when the phone rang right after the message sent, but unfortunately it wasn't from Bestie. I answered it and heard the sound of Mickey Mouse's dead serious voice on the other end.

"You're coming to Disney World _now_."


	70. Default Settings

_Guest #1: Well that was very awesome of your uncle, and condolences if he died, but I have never known a good cop personally. My ex and his whole department (and plus a few from some other departments I knew) all were guilty of racial profiling, planting evidence, cheating on their spouses, and manhandling people (and they would brag about it). I know there's a few good ones floating around somewhere that aren't corrupted with power (like your uncle), but I have yet to meet one. _

_TurboLover: I wondered where you had run off to! Glad to see you back :) hehe, yeah, I thought the same thing when I saw what chapter number I was on :P _

**Sorry to kill everyone's feels...**

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**Turbo's POV**

I didn't have to be a mind reader to know that I was in the biggest trouble of my life. I had hurt a human in the Real World and I was going to have to pay whatever consequences there were to be paid. The way Disney World works, I knew there was no way they'd go easy on me. Funny how it's okay to hurt humans HERE (due to them being considered a virus here, I never told Blondie that because I figured she'd be insulted) but not THERE.

When I vanished, I found myself in a prison cell back in the tower...not the same one I had occupied during my previous stints, but a prison cell all the same. My helmet, which had fallen to the floor after I had fully realized what I had done, had followed me since it was part of this world also and was technically a part of ME as well. I wasn't in chains (yet) so I was free to place it back on my head if I wished, but the idea of putting on the very item that I had used to land myself back in prison with seemed to reek of a sort of irony.

I shivered in the damp cold and hugged myself, glancing around at the barren stone walls that made up my cell. I was worried about Blondie, she was still in her apartment with that psycho ex of hers. I'm fairly sure that I didn't kill him, only knocked him out, and I'm also positive that she would have enough sense to call the police; however, I couldn't help but be worried. She was bound to be upset at my disappearing act, which rather startled me as well since it had never happened before. I guess it was part of that "magic of Disney" stuff that everyone around here preaches about.

A deep sigh escaped me; part of me wanted to go ahead and get my punishment dealt to me while the other part wanted to delay it as long as possible. The BIGGEST part of me wanted to go home though. Home, where I was supposed to be cuddling on the couch with my girlfriend watching some movie about dinosaurs and eating popcorn and maybe have a tickle fight with some kisses thrown in.

Ha, listen to me. I'm sitting here waiting to get the scolding of my life and all I can think about is HER.

* * *

I hung my head low in the bright, bland room that I had been taken to by the two Agrabah guards that had come to fetch me from my cell. The only furniture in the room were the table and two chairs, one being occupied by yours truly (while handcuffed to it, no less) and the other by The Mouse himself. Guards were stationed outside the room, since there was no reason for them to be too close to me considering my inability to really move at the moment. The tension in the room was so thick, you'd have needed a chainsaw to cut through it.

Mickey, as expected, didn't look too happy. He was sitting across from me at the other end of the table and I could feel his eyes on me. I didn't even want to look at him so I kept mine directly down at the table's surface. I could hear his fingers tapping softly on the table, as if he were thinking to himself and trying to decide what to do with me.

"You've put me in quite a bind, Turbo," he finally stated, his voice oozing with aggravation and...maybe disappointment?

I only closed my eyes, my shoulders sagging down more in response. So this is what "rock bottom" feels like.

"What were you thinking?" he asked me, an edge of confusion riddled in his question. "What in the name of Walt possessed you to do this? You've been progressing so well, and now you've gone back-"

"I love her."

I hadn't said it very loud but I knew that he had heard me because he instantly quit talking. The silence from before filled the room again and I finally allowed myself to pick my head up and peek at him. Mickey had this wide-eyed look of shock on his face, his jaw slightly dropped.

"What...what did you say?"

I sighed and shifted my eyes away towards the wall, trying to get lost in the blank white empty space there. "I love her," I repeated myself a little louder, yet still not at my normal tone. "Someone was hurting her and I...all I could think about was protecting her."

I turned my attention back to Mickey, my heart feeling like someone was squeezing it in a vice. "I know it was wrong to hurt the guy, but...he could've killed her if I hadn't stopped him." I was more than aware that my voice was starting to crack, and normally my pride would be causing me to curse myself for showing a sign of weakness, but right now I didn't care. "I was just...trying to save her."

The rat didn't say anything and I said nothing more. I relaxed against the back of the seat, staring down at my feet that were hanging under the table. Mickey at last cleared his throat and I heard him scoot his chair back so that he could stand up.

"I'll...I'll be right back," he stammered out quietly and all I heard was him opening the door and then closing it.

* * *

**Mickey's Office**

"What did I tell you, Mickey?" The man had a proud, smug tone to his voice as if he was glad that all of this was taking place. "I TOLD you that he was going to hurt someone."

Mickey pierced his eyes at his visitor, who was sitting across from his desk. "He did it because he LOVED her. I can't very well fault a man for THAT."

"Right," the other scoffed, taking a moment to examine under his fingernails. "So if you choose to let him get away with such a terrible crime, you're saying that it's okay for EVERYONE to do this. It's perfectly okay for someone to go around hurting people just because they love someone, right?"

Mickey's eyes narrowed further. "You're twisting my words around."

"Am I?" The man hopped out of his seat and began to wander around the room, casually observing the photos that hung on the wall of Mickey's office. "You realize that if you let Turbo escape punishment for this, that everyone will begin to think that either you're playing favorites or that you simply have your morals turned around. What would people say if they knew the great Mickey Mouse was perfectly fine with physical revenge?"

Mickey stood up from his seat, his hands clenching at the edge of his desk. "Hey, now, I don't think I like where you're going with this. I don't-"

"Well how do you like THIS?" the man interrupted him, picking up a small framed photo of Minnie planting some flowers in her garden, a big bonnet on her head. "If you let Turbo go free from this without repercussion, everyone will find out. The other villains will get it into their heads that it's fine to do the same thing he did. They won't want to obey the rules of this 'rehab center' and they'll return to their respective crimes in an instant. Anarchy will result. All the heroes and princess and other non-villainous characters will blame YOU."

He pointed a stubby finger in the Mouse's direction accusingly. "It will be YOUR head they'll want on a silver platter, Mickey. And it'll all be because of this one guy who claims that he hurt someone out of 'love'." The man placed the picture back on the shelf he had gotten it from and he paced back towards the desk, his hands folded in front of him. "We'll need a new leader for Disney World, one that can handle the job and control these people."

Mickey kept his glare on and he seethed through his teeth. "And who might this 'new leader' be, might I ask?"

A smug smile formed on the man's lips as he replied, "ME."

"YOU?" Mickey scoffed and shook his head. "You're crazy!"

He shrugged. "Perhaps. But this can all be avoided if you do one simple thing." He paused and waited a beat before completing his thought. "Do exactly as I say...or you can forget about running the show from here on out."

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

I was being led down a corridor, my hands cuffed behind my back. No one told me where we were heading and I was unfamiliar with this certain area. The two guards accompanying me didn't even glance down, both of them only worried about following orders.

Just like everyone else around here.

We entered a room that I had never been to before and quite frankly I didn't want to go in NOW. In the room was this chair that had straps to it, the intent to restrain the person sitting in it. There was this big tube thing in front of the chair that looked like a pair of binoculars attached to it, meant for the person sitting down to look into. Mickey was standing there, facing away from me so I was unable to see his face.

I tensed up, not liking where this was going but the guards had a firm grip on my upper arms and forced me along. "What is this?" I demanded to know, a trickle of fear in my voice. "What are you going to do to me?"

They roughly shoved me down into the seat, removing my helmet, and they secured the straps tightly around my ankles and wrists. Another one went around my upper chest and my forehead in order to prevent me from wriggling too much, not that it mattered much because I was still struggling against it.

Mickey turned around, an eerily calm look plastered to his face and with a wave of his hand, the two guards were excused to leave. My heart raced so hard that I thought it would surely jump out of my chest; I felt sweat trickle out of every orifice. This was as frightening as when I had flown into Diet Cola Mountain's eruption. The sense of impending doom that I could not escape from was nauseating to me.

Except, at least in the case of the volcano, I had known what was coming: incineration. But THIS...I have no idea what's going to happen to me. This tube in front of me with the binoculars-looking attachment stared right at me, almost as if I were looking into the end double-barreled shotgun.

Mickey walked slowly towards me yet I did not look at him, my eyes focused intently on the bizarre contraption before me. "Turbo...this is our Memory Machine," he explained to me, formally introducing me to the device. "It's what we use when we need to erase a character's memories for a prequel or, in some cases, a midquel."

WHAT?

I would've snapped my head in his direction but I could not due to the strap around my head. I painfully turned my eyes in his direction, widened to their full extent. "E-erase?" I sputtered out, struggling even harder now.

"Yes," he sighed and I caught what appeared to be a glimpse of regret on his face. "I'm afraid that your actions in the Real World justify having your time there obliterated from your mind."

"No!" I wailed, not concerned about how ridiculous I might look in a desperate frame of mind. "No, you can't do that! There has to be something else you can do! Like give me forty lashes a day or make me Vanellope's personal slave; ANYTHING, just PLEASE don't erase my memories!"

I hated begging, anyone that knew me could tell you that, but believe me, I was doing it NOW. I hadn't even realized that I'd started crying, my throat welling up tightly and my vision slightly blurred from the tears. I felt like someone had just stomped on my heart with a pair of cleats, that's how much it hurt.

"I'm sorry, Turbo, but this is the only way."

For a second, I thought he really DID sound sorry...my brain must be fried from all the stress it's under.

Mickey stepped back out of my sight, where I do not know, and the humming sounds of the machine coming to life filled the air. The shutters on the two eyepieces whirled open and the tube raised itself to my level, adjusting itself to aligned with my face. My breathing had quickened to a rapid pace, my entire soul screaming to escape this body of mine so that it could escape the restraints.

"NO!" I kept screaming, fighting uselessly to avoid the machine as it slowly edged closer to my face, my eyes now perfectly aligned with the two eyepieces. Bright lights shined through them, burning into my pupils even when I shut them tightly. "No, stop, PLEASE! Don't do this to me!"

Blondie...oh, she would be so devastated! It had taken me so long to break her shell and let me fully into her private life and now...now she'd be all alone again. It would CRIPPLE her if I didn't remember who she was! The very idea of her having a broken heart over me only made me buck harder against the straps, yet it was no use.

A strange warm feeling washed into me, my mind feeling as though it was taking a bath in acid. At the same time, it didn't hurt...what DID hurt was all the random memories of my time in the Real World coming forward into the front part of my mind, knowing that I'd never remember them again: arriving there at Blondie's doorstep for the first time, spending the holidays with her family last year, our chocolate spending spree, buying my car, bungee jumping, her coming to save me from prison, our trip to Texas, that time Gaston came to stay with us, our Florida vacation, us admitting our feelings to each other, our first kiss, me looking through that jewelry store and picking out a-

_Go...in...to...the...liiiiiiIIIIGH-! _

NO! I don't want to forget! I don't want to forget! I don't want to for-

* * *

**Blondie's POV**

I strolled through the halls of the rehab center at a quickened pace, my heart in my throat the entire time. After Mickey hung up on me, demanding that I show up "_now", _I had arrived her the same way I had the first time: via Ludwig Von Drake's telephone-teleportation device thing. Why we didn't come here that way _every_ time, I don't know but right now the only thing I was fully concentrating on was getting this mess straightened out about Turbo and Guy. They couldn't possibly know that Guy was a bit of a lunatic that _deserved_ getting slammed in the back of the head with a racing helmet, after all.

I finally found Mickey's office and, without knocking first, I waltzed right in to find him sitting at his desk with his head laying down on it. What? How dare he be resting so casually when something as serious as _this_ is happening!

"Where is he?" I barked at him, causing him to jerk upright in his seat. "I want to see Turbo _now!"_

He had the audacity to huff at me and he came down out of his chair to walk towards me. "You know, it would've been nice to have a heads-up about you and him being in a relationship together."

My face burned but I should've figured that he would figure it out after _this_. "What difference would it have made if you'd known?" I questioned him, my fists clenched on my hips as I glared down at him. "And that hardly matters _now_, doesn't it?"

He sighed and turned his face from me, his face an unreadable expression. "I suppose it doesn't _now_." He stepped around me, going out into the hall, his arm motioned forward as if to invite me to come along. "I'll take you to him, but you aren't going to like it."

My skin prickled with goosebumps upon hearing that. All sorts of terrible, horrible images penetrated their way into my imagination. I had to shake my head to clear it. "Just shut up talking and take me to him."

* * *

The journey to the prison seemed so familiar yet so different; instead of sneaking my way around like a pre-teen Kim Possible, I was being deliberately led there by "the Mouse in Charge", making the entire scenario seem more official and almost ominous. It was almost as if I were being taken there so that _I_ could go into a prison cell, yet I wasn't handcuffed nor were there any guards accompanying us.

The prison was still a cold, unwelcoming place; the Sheriff of Nottingham was at least awake this time around, wordlessly exchanging a nod with Mickey in greeting as we passed by the desk that the large anthropomorphic wolf was sitting at. It seems like "once upon a time" that I had first come here, fangirling over every little thing, but now I reacted to it all as if I were taking a stroll down my own street back home.

We reached the upper portion of the prison tower, where Turbo had been kept the last time he had come here, but we went to a different cell. My whole body shook with anxiety, wondering what Mickey had meant by saying that I wouldn't like what I saw. The Mouse hung back, waving me forward gently yet keeping an oddly solemn look on his face, turning away ever so slightly back towards the staircase.

"I'll give you a moment," he quipped out quietly, descending back down to the bottom floor.

I drew in a shaky breath and stepped forward to the small barred window at the top of the door, peeking inside. My knees wobbled like a jello mold when I saw no one inside.

"Turbo?" I called out quietly, my voice echoing in the cell.

It took a few seconds, but I at last heard, "_What_?", in this gritty low voice. I was taken aback at first at his attitude. He sounded extremely annoyed and put off...not that I blame him. I suppose I shouldn't have been expecting him to be leaping for joy at me coming to see him.

"Gee, Turbs, you could at least sound a _little_ happy to hear my voice," I joked with him lightly, peering around the room.

I saw some movement to my far left and that's when I noticed that he'd been hiding in one of the foremost corners of the room. I hadn't been able to see him due to those two corners being in my blind spots, but now that I could see him, my heart leapt to my throat...then it plunged back down. He looked so...ragged. His eyes were mere slits that were barely allowing the anger inside of him shine through, literally so since they were glowing like hot melted gold in the dark cell. His shoulders were hunched, his body in a stance that read of angry defense, and his breathing was audibly frustrated.

"Look, _lady_, mocking me isn't a good idea," he snarled at me, his fists clenching at his suit as he burned his eyes into mine.

I blinked at the uncharacteristic rough edge he was using with me. He hadn't spoken to me like that in...gosh, it's been so long, I can't even remember. It gave me a cold, empty feeling to be hearing it _now_.

He tilted his head at me as if to study me, the way a stranger looks at you when they take their first hard look at you. "Kind of game character are you, anyway? I've never seen graphics as highly defined as yours."

"Wh-what?" I stammered out, completely confused by this conversation we were having. "Turbs, did you hit your head somewhere? Stop goofing around, you know very well who and _what _I am."

He bared his teeth at me like unlike a rabid dog would, coming up closer to the door in a brisk manner. "Stop calling me that!" he snapped at me, his eyes twitching with rage. "That isn't my name and you should show a little respect for the rightful king of Su_gar Rush_!"

I stepped back a bit when he had spat at me, my eyes widened with fear. What...what is going on...?

He trembled and hugged himself, clawing at his suit with his fingers. "I gotta get outta here," he muttered to himself angrily. "How did I even _get_ here? I should be _dead_." He ran his hands through his already messy black hair and he walked away from me a few steps. "That _wrecker_...that _glitch_...this is their fault, it must be."

He sounded steadily more aggressive the more he muttered and I didn't say a word. I was standing there with my jaw halfway dropped, my mind blank as I was unable to even understand what on earth was happening here. He was acting like all he could remember were the events of the movie and-

My breath hitched in my throat and a cold dead feeling washed into me, as if all the life had suddenly sucked out of me. All he could remember...

Turbo growled loudly and he kicked his bare cot with a leg, sending it onto its side. The clanging of the metal frame against the stone floor sent a jolt up my spine. "I'll _kill_ them!" he started yelling out, his voice full of hatred and bitterness. "I'll kill them for this! I had _everything_! And they took it all away from me!"

An icy hand gripped at my heart and I hugged at myself in an attempt to comfort myself, shaking my head slowly in disbelief and my face frozen in that of a silent cry. I stood there and blankly watched him go around the room ranting about _Sugar Rush_ and _RoadBlasters_ and other such things that he had never once in all his months of living with me act as if he even cared about anymore.

He had stared at me like a stranger would...because I _was_ a stranger to him.

He wasn't my Turbs anymore...he was just simply Turbo...the villain from Disney's _Wreck-It Ralph_. It was as if someone had flipped a switch on him and he was transformed back into his default, factory setting.

When he had no more nostalgic hatred to spout out, he glanced towards the window again, his eyes peering into mine...the eyes of a _stranger_. "You're still here?" he inquired acidly, his hands like claws as they shook in front of him, almost as if he were trying to hold himself back. "_Get out!_ Get out of here and leave me _alone_!"

The choking sob that had been steadily building up this whole finally made its way to the surface. I turned away, unable to bear looking at him anymore, stumbling towards the stairwell that led to the bottom floor. My legs grew weak and I sat there on one of the middle steps, hunching over and burying my face in my hands to release my tears.

He didn't remember me...nothing we had been through remained in his memory...I was _nothing_ to him...

"_You're nothing to him anymore_," Guy's voice said to me, that dream I'd had about Turbo turning into a cybug coming back to me full-force. _"He's quite literally lost his mind. A blank slate_."

"No..." I whispered to myself in between gasping sobs. "No...he said he wouldn't...forget me..."

"_People like you are never remembered_," I recalled Miss Priss saying in that same dream, right before giving me the "loser" sign with her fingers.

_"**Turb0 d03sn't liv3 h3r3 anym0r3**..."_

"As you have probably figured out, his memories have been erased."

The sudden intrusive voice of Mickey spooked me into sitting up, my face drenched with salty tears. He stood a few steps below me, his hands folded behind his back. I gritted my teeth upon seeing him, my nails digging into my own flesh as I clenched my fists tightly against my jeans.

"Why..." I raspily choked out. "He was trying to _protect_ me!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't get any words out. I reared my hand back and slapped him right across his face, his head jerking violently to one side and a nice pink handprint forming on his cheek.

"Rehab Center, huh?" I spat bitterly, my whole body shaking as I continued to cry. "Where the goal is for villains to reform but not _too_ much, right? Can't have them loving people and doing things to _protect_ them, can we?"

I hugged myself tightly and hung my head down low as I rocked myself gently there on the prison steps. Mickey stayed silent for another moment or two before he softly cleared his throat, the soft rustle of fabric becoming audible to me.

"Obviously, we won't be needing your Guardian services any longer."

I heard the sound of paper ripping and I jerked my head up to discover him tearing apart my contract...the one saying that Turbo could live with me in the Real World under my official care. He might as well have been holding my heart in his hand, ripping _it _asunder instead...the act had the same effect.

"If you wish, we can forward any pay to your account to refurbish you for your time and trouble."

My...trouble? Pay? They want to pay me? For my _trouble_?

My lips turned up in a sneer, my brow so heavily furrowed that my eyes were barely able to stay cracked open in the glare that I had fixated on him. "I don't want your money," I hissed at him. "I don't want anything from you or anybody else in this pixie dust coated nightmare."

I stood up, shakily, my entire existence having been so suddenly altered that I felt like I wasn't even here anymore. It was like a dream really...only it wasn't one I could wake up from.

"I want to go home," I whispered, trying to calm myself for now. "I hate you and I hope Walt is rolling in his grave because of what you've done."

The Mouse winced at that, what with Walt being his creative father and all. I shoved past him, numbly making my way back downstairs. All I cared about was getting out of here. I never wanted to see this place ever again. I had no reason to.

* * *

I came home to my door still wide open, how nothing managed to get stolen I have no clue. The popcorn that Turbs had gone out to buy laid carelessly on the living room floor where he'd supposedly dropped it so that he could instead grab at his helmet so he could-

Never mind.

I closed my door and locked it, the sound of the bolt louder than I remember it being. I turned and glanced at the couch...the couch where'd he'd spent his nights sleeping since last November...almost a year ago. He'd never sleep there again. He doesn't even remember having been here...

My _soul_ cracked into pieces and I let out a single, agonizing cry, all the hurt and pain I was feeling rushing forward like a tidal wave. I collapsed on the couch, hugging one of his fluffy pillows that he had once begged me to buy for him. I buried my face in it as the sobs ransacked through my weary body, inhaling the faint smell of him that still lingered in it.

He'd _been_ here...it had been _real_ at one time...now it was just a memory...a memory that we couldn't even share because he had no memories at all beyond the scripted ones. Here I am, back where I started at...except I remember how much my life has changed over the past year and...

Oh, Turbs..._my_ Turbs...you're not even mine anymore...

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and glanced at the screen. Nothing from Bestie. Nothing from _any_body.

_Alone_...I am alone and forgotten about...by everyone...


	71. Two Days Later

**1000 reviews? *explodes into confetti* You guys are the best readers ever! :D I'm now officially the third WiR fic to reach this goal (behind "Love Bug" and "Wrecking Limits")! It's so awesome and crazy and amazing at the same time! :)**

**And I changed the genre from humor to friendship, since I think that's more accurate, but still kept the parody aspect since I think it still kinda retains some of that at least. I laughed so hard your 2nd review, That Guest Person XD**

**And TurboLover, nooooooo, this is NOT getting sex scenes! I'm keeping the rating at K-plus, no worries ;)**

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Felix sighed sadly as he lounged in the Niceland rooftop pool, Calhoun's arms wrapped around him from her position behind him. The Core Four were all silent as they relaxed in their afternoon gathering spot, Vanellope in her mint-green one-piece suit gently bobbing in the water while Ralph sat in one corner of the pool with his arms heaved up to rest on the edges.

"I just can't believe that after all this time, he would DO something like this," the 8-bit handyman uttered aloud after no one had bothered to say anything for a while. "He had a good thing going, why would he screw it up?"

"Because he's a VILLAIN," Calhoun snorted lightly, flicking her bangs out of her eyes. She had on a black bikini top and a pair of matching fitted swim trunks, not one to show off ALL her 'assets' in front of guests. "It's in his programming to pull stunts like this. The surprise is that it took him so long to do it."

Ralph cast a withering look in her direction, remembering fully how it was for him during his movie's events when he was still treated as "just the bad guy who wrecks the building".

"It isn't impossible to change, you know," he stated firmly, his large fingers flexing minutely in agitation. "There's got to be more to the story that what Mickey told us. I highly doubt that he would go ballistic on someone for no reason, even taking his past into consideration."

"His SCRIPTED past," Felix added gently, wincing at the scoff from his wife who was behind him still.

"Scripted or not, he's still programmed to destroy everything he touches, almost like a cybug," Calhoun remarked in a tone of tense anger. "Heck, he WAS a cybug at one point, so there ya go."

Vanellope, who had treaded her way over to Ralph's corner, hiked herself onto the edge of the pool by using one of his hands to grip onto and then sat herself on the edge. She wrung the water out of her long black ponytail and wiped her face with a hand.

"But he wasn't like that after he went to go live in the Real World," she pointed out with a sigh, looking down at her little feet as they barely touched the water's surface. "He seemed to really care about moving on with his life and stuff. He even apologized to me when he didn't have to."

"He's an experienced liar, pipsqueak," the blonde sergeant countered back. "He was probably saying those things and acting the way he was to pull one over on us all so that he could eventually get out of Mickey's watchful eyes and then do whatever he wanted under the radar."

Felix shook his head slowly. "I don't believe that."

His wife rolled her eyes. "Better START believing. He's in prison for a reason, after all."

"Hurting a human in the Real World," Ralph uttered softly, letting his head drop back so he could look up at Niceland's permanent night sky.

"How come it's not illegal to hurt a human HERE?" Vanellope innocently questioned, swinging her legs harder in the water to make little waves.

"Disney World reacts to their presence much like a body does to a virus," Felix explained with a shrug. "If they get hurt here, it doesn't detect it as anything BAD. Which doesn't mean that it's RIGHT, but then again a lot of things aren't right in this world."

"Like erasing a guy's memories apparently," Ralph muttered thoughtlessly.

Calhoun looked down at Felix and then over at the wrecker and president respectively. "Have you all gone cuckoo? You realize you're talking about a guy who ERASED memories himself, right?"

Vanellope groaned a bit. "SCRIPTED," she reminded her. "Though it IS kind of ironic."

An irritated huff escaped Ralph's lips. "This is ridiculous, was it even really necessary to do that? What was wrong with simply tossing him in prison? Why erase his memories?" He shook his head in disbelief. "That seems a little hardcore."

"So is bashing a guy in the back of his head," Calhoun stated plainly.

"We don't even know what happened to cause it," Felix politely argued, leaning back more against his wife's chest. "Maybe he had a good reason to do it."

Calhoun scoffed at the same time Vanellope suggested, "Maybe he was protecting his girlfriend."

Everyone perked their heads up to stare at her. The chibi-style racing star realized that all the attention was on her and she shrugged her hands up. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? It's possible, isn't it? Kinda like when Ralph killed him in the movie to protect ME."

The wrecker chirped a small laugh. "You're not exactly my girlfriend, squirt."

She furrowed her brows in a feisty glare before punching his hand, which did nothing to hurt him. She, however, glitched a gentle wave of blue binary upon impact. "Ga-doi, I'm only nine anyway."

"We'd have to change your name to PERV-It Ralph," Calhoun snickered in good humor.

"Ha. Ha. So funny," the film protagonist dryly laughed. "At least WE'RE having a good time, unlike SOME members of our family."

Vanellope bit her lip, playing with the ends of her ponytail while Felix pretended to observe his feet under the water. Calhoun was the first to break the silence.

"Oh, come on, junkpile, you're acting like it was one of US-", she motioned with her arms as if to display the rest of the group,"-instead of Turbo. It's not like he was ever around or got to know any of us."

Ralph's massive fists rose into the air and before anyone could stop him, he slammed them down into the water; a huge tidal wave formed as a result, all of the water slapping Felix and Calhoun right in the face before it exited the pool completely. The concrete around the pool was now flooded with water, the only reason that it didn't go cascading off the sides of the building was because of the barricade around it.

Vanellope coughed for air, having to rub at her eyes in order to see. Calhoun had let go of her husband in order to do the same while Felix simply stared at his co-worker with a terrified expression.

"That was the whole POINT!" Ralph bellows angrily, throwing his wide open hands in the air in frustration as he stood up in the now empty pool. "The only reason I sent him away from here in the first place was so that he could get over his issues and then come back to live here with US as a FAMILY and not be the black sheep around here! And now he's never going to get that chance because his mind's been literally erased clean and he's probably going to spend the rest of his eternity in prison!"

"Hey, hey, big guy, calm down!" Vanellope chimed in, standing up at the edge of the pool now. "I wanted Turbo to be in our family too, but I think he'd have rather stayed in the Real World."

"Still, he can't even do THAT anymore!" Ralph hollered, causing the little girl to cringe lightly. He huffed to himself as he stood up, heaving his massive frame over the pool's edge and walking away, his footsteps lightly shaking the building as he walked.

The other three glanced at each other, Vanellope motioning to Felix to do something. Felix shrugged helplessly and he looked up at his wife as if to silently ask for her help. The sergeant sighed audibly and she moved Felix from in front of her, she too swinging over the side of the pool with grace and striding up to the large wrecker.

Ralph stared out from over the top of the Niceland penthouse in the direction of screen that showcased the rest of Litwak's Family Fun Center. Calhoun ran her hand through her wet hair, shoving it back out of her face. She carefully approached Ralph, standing beside him and gazing out as well.

"Look, Wreck-It, I'm not one to show my feelings all the time," she began quietly, crossing her arms in front of her loosely. "I admit, I thought it would be nice for Turbo to get to a point where he could join the rest of us here. But I can't ignore that he HURT someone."

"Even if it was to protect someone?" Ralph prodded her, keeping his eyes focused ahead of him.

"We don't even know if that's what happened!" Calhoun argued, throwing her hands up.

"But what if it DID? What difference does it make in ME hurting HIM to protect Vanellope, and then HIM hurting someone else to protect his only friend?" He sighed and hung his head down loosely. "It seems like a double standard."

Calhoun let out a long breath before replying, her stance relaxing. "You got point with that. If that's indeed what happened, then Disney World has a rat on the loose."

* * *

Randall Boggs was strolling down the sidewalk just outside of Remy's second _Ratatouille_ restaurant in Disney World; the small eatery had been such a big hit in Remy's movie-verse, that the small rat had opened a second one there in the main hub so that more characters could easily access it. He had just grabbed a quick cup of coffee from there and was headed towards the rehab center when he thought he heard some whispering from behind him.

"Did you hear about that villain that got his memories wiped?"

"Yeah, I heard he attacked a human! The nerve, all those villains are dangerous menaces to society!"

Randall's body tensed up and his teeth slightly bared as he heard this. The ridiculous prejudices that some people had for villains was irritating at the very least. Just like that little short guy, who he had discovered came from that movie...he forgot the name. The one about video games or something. Yeah, that little guy that he had overheard ranting about how he hated his movie's villain and how he was more of a popular character and how he didn't deserve happiness and blah blah blah.

For a while, Randall had spied on him out of curiosity and also he wondered what it was he was up to. Guys like that one were usually up to no good, but a couple of months ago he had started losing track of him. It wasn't very often that he would see him, but he would try his best to trail him when he did.

"What movie was that jerk from anyway? Oh, wait, wasn't it that King Candy guy, or whatever his name is? He was in that movie about arcade games from last year."

Randall froze in place when he heard that, his normally squinted eyes getting bigger. WHAT? What had they said? That was the movie that the little...

The cogs in his brain began to spin. So the villain from the same movie that the little twerp in the cardigan came from was the one who had his memories wiped for attacking a human? It all seemed too...convenient. Had this been...had this been a set-up? And was this person going to start targeting ALL the villains?

* * *

Mickey Junk Mountain's unforgiving landscape was eerily silent as a chill breeze blew across it. The only signs of life were the tiny, bright blue bunnies that were hopping about in a game of tag. There were only about twenty of them right now, there were actually several hundred if you were to count all their brothers and sisters. They had once lived here on the mountain not too many years ago when their father, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, was still living in bitter resentment of his more popular half-brother, Mickey Mouse.

They no longer lived here but sometimes they would sneak back for nostalgia's sake and play. They knew their parents would be very upset at them for wandering off, but they usually managed to blink their little bunny eyes at them and all would be forgiven.

The group of twenty found themselves near the caves on the side of the mountain. They all looked at each other and it became a simultaneous decision to go exploring. It didn't take them long to find something worthwhile.

There was a human hiding in the cave...a REAL one. She was very thin with short brown hair, and her ankles were twisted in a gruesome fashion, obviously broken. She looked to be asleep and had a patch of dried blood on the back of her head.

The bunnies were frightened at first, all huddling together as they kept their distance from this strange person. After a few seconds of not doing anything, one brave bunny hopped forward to investigate closer. He saw that the person was no threat and needed assistance, feeling cold to the touch. Unable to speak, he motioned over with a paw to beckon his siblings over. They all came forward and they instinctively nestled over the person in an attempt to warm her up.

The first bunny squeaked at one of the others and they seemed to chat with each other in their own special way before they took off running out of the cave. Dad! They had to go get Dad and Uncle Mickey! They'd know what to do for sure.

* * *

_No, Bestie didn't stay knocked out for two days, she would wake up and fall asleep again since she couldn't very well go anywhere. I just skipped all that and went straight into the beginning of a rescue for her._


	72. The Little Black Box

_DarkMeow159: lol well I have blonde hair, so you imagined wrong :P Gosh, four chapters long, that was an ETERNITY ago!_

_DarkMagician: haha oh no, well I'm sorry I made you get grounded! :P lol I was waiting for an Oswald fan to comment though._

_TurboLover: Yeah, I'm gonna try and wrap things up after this current conflict gets resolved. I don't want to drag it out TOO much longer. And aww, I still like my Rosie, but I can't think of anything to do with her anymore._

**Okay guys, the mystery man's identity will SOON be revealed! I know some of you are thinking "Finally!" lol**

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Two days...

It feels like two years instead.

I've been running on auto-pilot since the night Turbs was taken from me...the night when all his memories were erased. I've barely been able to sleep...every time I close my eyes, all I see is another of my own personal memories play before me like a recording. I've had to force myself to eat, though I'm not hungry. The first time I used the microwave, I remembered that time that he had accidentally broken the handle off and it made me cry so hard, that I went down on my knees and hugged myself on my kitchen floor. Last night I stayed in the shower so long that the water ran cold and I started crying again because of that too.

I've practically lived on the couch for two days. I can't even watch TV...I'm too scared to open my drawer containing my Disney movies out of fear that it will _really _set me off the edge. I called in sick for a week of work, claiming mental exhaustion. Not too far from the truth. My heart feels like half of it melted in a sea of despair.

If I don't watch myself, I'll end up like Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens's _Great Expectations_ and keep the house looking exactly the same as it was when he left...except I'm not in a wedding dress and there's no cobweb-infested cake sitting on my table.

I want to talk about it, but I don't. I wish Bestie would call me already, but she doesn't. I feel so abandoned. My parents called me yesterday and I robotically explained the situation as briefly as possible before bursting into a flood of tears again and hanging up on them.

Kitty keeps digging around in the couch between the cushions for some reason and I keep having to shoo her away. I don't know what's gotten into her.

God, it's like he died...only he isn't. Or rather, he's mentally dead but physically alive. It's like his _real_ mind died and took a permanent vacation while this other mentality took over, like someone else is living in his body. I almost wish he really _were_ dead...somehow that's better than knowing that he's alive somewhere and doesn't even know who I am enough to have any sort of opinion about.

It's not fair! I finally open up my heart and it gets shattered...that's what I had feared all along. Why didn't I just keep it closed off? At least the pain wouldn't be as strong. Why didn't they erase _my_ memories along with his, it isn't fair that I have to suffer with this and he doesn't!

No, no, I don't want to forget. I feel guilty when I think like this...wanting to forget all the little moments between us, like taking naps together, going on walks, going for a drive, baking cookies (well, he'd taste-test anyway), playing video games, watch a sunset, feed the ducks by the pond...I'd never want to forget that, even as much as it hurts to do so sometimes.

I thought that if I could will myself to imagine that he as _only_ a fictional person and that I had simply dreamed the past year up, that it would be better. That failed when I got on the internet and saw all the fanart and fanfiction and tumblr posts...I could never be "just a fan" again. I was in too deep.

I had just gotten out of the shower, drying off and putting my PJs on when I saw Kitty once again trying to dig into Turb-..._my_ couch. I heaved a sigh of annoyance, growing tired of this new hobby of hers. She had obviously been at it for a while because she had caught a hold of something and was grunting lightly as she yanked on it. I plucked her off the couch, to which she gave me a protesting meow, and I pulled the rest of the mysterious item out.

It was a little black velvety box.

The room began to spin and my stomach began to get nauseous. A box...a little black box...just the right size for...

No.

_No._

**No.**

I am not opening it. I refuse to torture myself any further. It's probably not what I think it is anyway. It's probably something like earrings or a charm for a bracelet perhaps.

I stuffed it back in the couch cushion, hoping that if I didn't see it that I could pretend that I had _never_ seen it. However, my treacherous mind would not let it escape my memory. Now that I knew where it was, it would haunt me until I knew what was in it. I'm fairly sure that once I see what's inside, it will only make me hurt worse, but I suppose it's better than going mad with the curiosity.

Huffing, I leaned down to quickly remove the aforementioned box from its spot and gripped the lid of it with one hand as I held it in my other palm. I shook with anticipation, my throat feeling dry and shaking all over. I sat myself down and swallowed with resolution, counted to three in my head, and opened it.

A gold ring with a single, square diamond firmly placed in the middle of it glistened at me, hypnotizing me with its beauty.

I gasped painfully as I dropped it to my lap, my hands pressing against my heart as it throbbed in agony. A mixture of emotions swam through me; on one hand, I was overjoyed over what his intentions had been...and on the hand, I was overwhelmed with grief that it was a dead dream.

_An engagement ring._

He wanted to...we were going to get...

I grit my teeth and clenched my fists together so hard that my nails dug into my skin. Hot tears began to silently flow out of my eyes for the umpteenth time in the last two days. I forced myself to close the box and blindly put it to the side before getting up and storming to my bedroom. I grabbed my fluffiest pillow and started beating my fists into it, screaming nonsensical jabber at it as if I had suddenly lost the ability to form coherent words. All the rage and depression I held inside myself went flying into that one pillow; I picked it up and started beating the wall with it, I ripped into it with my nails, I ripped it further with my teeth, I threw it on the ground and stomped on it.

By the time I was done, I'd worked myself up into a dizzy spell, collapsing on the floor and breathing heavily yet shakily.

Okay...okay...snap out of it...get yourself together...calm down...

Ten...nine...eight..._a ring_...seven...six...five..._he was going to ask me to_...four...three...two...one...

I rocked back onto my behind, holding my knees for support and leaning against the side of my bed to rest after my little tantrum. Kitty timidly strolled up to me, her eyes that were a mix of gold-and-green staring into mine questioningly, and sat herself up on her haunches so she could sniff at my face and lick some of my tears away. I slowly reached my hand out to stroke her soft fur, my breathing calming down.

"I guess..." My voice sounded scratchy from all the yelling I'd done. "I guess...long as I have _you_...I'm not alone..."

I perked up a bit when I said that word. Alone. _Alone._ My dream I'd had...the one where Turbs had turned into a cybug again...Randall Boggs had been in it for some reason and he'd given me a cupcake that said "alone" on it.

Randall Boggs...

We'd talked once...it was before Monster's University had come out into theatres over the summer. He'd said something about...about memories then.

_"So how does the prequel thing work?"_

_"Oh, it's a complicated process," Randall was telling me with a slight eye roll. "They have to go through the trouble of rewinding us to our younger selves and temporarily erasing our memories of the first movie so we won't purposely foreshadow anything or do anything that would seem out of place. Afterwards, they reverse the process to make us into our original selves again._

Reverse the process...

"Kitty!" I exclaimed at random, picking her suddenly underneath her front legs and holding her up with a crazed smile plastered to my face. "We can reverse the memory erasure! We can get his memories back!"

"Meow?"

"We can get Turbs back!" I squeezed her too me, crying some happy tears for once. She meowed in distress and she wiggled her way out of my arms and hid under the bed to escape me, probably wondering what had possessed me.

I looked down at what I was wearing and I had to laugh at myself. "Well, I can't rescue my future fiancee looking like _this, _can I?"

I'm such a dummy! I should've thought of this before! I don't know how I'm going to get to Disney World exactly, but believe you me, I _will _get there one way or another! Nothing's going to stop me now. Nothing and _nobody_.


	73. A Tangled Web We Weave, Pt 1

_TurboLover: No, I'm not giving any real names in this ;) I'm sure everyone has their own idea of what it is anyway. And...I've got a few plot bunnies floating around in my head but I'd have to sit down and really map them out before I write anything more. Nothing solid yet anyway._

**_Sorry I've been slacking on a lot of review responses, but I don't want to accidentally give anything away anymore than I probably already have ;) _**

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

**(takes place before and during the previous chapter)**

Oswald Rabbit was not happy to be dragged from his comfortable armchair, donning only a blue house robe and some plush slippers. It had been his intention to not do ANYTHING today and that meant not moving a single inch from his spot in front of the television. The Ruler of the Wasteland had to have a break every once in a while, right?

But then two of his wonderfully adorable children had come home in a panic, squeaking about in a frantic way that was impossible for him to decipher, and their mother (his sweet Ortensia) had BEGGED him to go see what the trouble was. So here he was, in his lounge wear, wandering around Mickey Junk Mountain with all but eighteen of his 420 children accompanying him (they had all thought it was okay to tag along with him), trying to find the missing members.

"You kids are in BIG trouble for coming out here without permission," he chided them as he walked over the top of a giant Super Nintendo game cartridge with a giant Mickey Mouse face on it. "Well, twenty of you are in trouble anyway."

"Awwwwww!" the two little ones that had been in the smaller group of twenty whined out loud, their floppy ears drooping down and their eyes getting wide like a puppy's.

The other 400 babies snickered quietly, though it sounded like just one big snicker to Oswald, and the father rabbit sighed and wiped a hand over his head and over his own ears. "Why did you guys have to be drawn so cute for? I can NEVER stay mad at you guys."

They all giggled at that before a few of them pushed at his feet to keep moving forward. From a distance, he looked like a misplaced black blob in a sea of blue. He looked around at his surroundings, his former home, and he grumbled mentally to himself. If he had known that he was getting dragged HERE, he might've suggested the kids go fetch their "Uncle Mickey" instead. He imagined that his younger half-brother would have no problem being surrounded by his own face. True, they got along rather well ever since the Epic Mickey games, but still...sometimes he thought Mickey was exhausted from running all of Disney World and not giving himself a break. That can do things to your ability to make decisions, after all.

Oswald didn't get much chance to think further on it when the two bunnies that had come to fetch him from the house started squeaking and hopped hurriedly into a cave. He then heard the sounds of the remaining 18 that had originally ventured out here. His 'father mode' kicked in and, fearing that they were possibly injured, rushed into the cave as fast as he could.

The scene before him was so unexpected that he had to blink a few times to process it. The children themselves were not hurt, it appeared, but SOMEONE was. All of the 420 bunnies regrouped together, most of them not able to fit in the cave at all due to there not being enough room, and Oswald simply stood there with his jaw half open.

"Is that...is that a HUMAN?" he asked rhetorically out loud, knowing full well what the answer was.

She looked awful, whoever she was. It didn't take much investigation for him to realize that she'd been assaulted, mostly to her legs (which were twisted in a gruesome fashion) and the back of her head. Oswald knew it wasn't illegal to attack humans in any of the Disney realms (due to them being a "virus" or something like that, he never understood the technical mumbo-jumbo), but this...this was just sick.

He blindly dug out his cell phone from the pocket of his house robe (Ortensia had MADE him take it with him) and he hurriedly, yet shakily, dialed Mickey's number. It only took three rings before the Mouse answered, but it had felt like an eternity to the Rabbit.

"Mickey? You might want to get down to YOUR Junk Mountain," he tried to lightly joke to help soothe the situation. "And we might need to do something about this 'harming humans' rule when it comes to OUR worlds."

* * *

Randall Boggs, in his camouflage mode, silently awaited until Mickey had exited his office. The Mouse had been on the phone for only a mere few seconds, sounding rather urgent about whatever the situation was, before he had quickly ran out. He had been in such a hurry to get to wherever he was going, that he hadn't even bothered to lock his door.

Randall briefly wondered what it was that had him in such a rush, but he shrugged it off and figured he'd hear about later anyway. He allowed himself in, making himself visible again, and he wandered over to Mickey's desk and started opening up drawers in it at random. He blinked his squinted green eyes when he found a folder bearing the mysterious Turbo's name on it, and he curled his lip as he grabbed it with one hand to slap onto the desk. He flipped it open and read some of the information jotted down.

_Name: Turbo_

_Movie of Origin: Wreck-It Ralph, 2012_

_Role: Villain_

The next part had some scratched out lines through it and Randall wished that he would quit leaving his glasses at home so that he could read. He squinted harder and peered down closer at the paper in order to make out the letters.

_Current Status: _ (scratched out portion read:_ is staying in Real World with a human 'Guardian' named_ [this part was heavily smudged out]._ Is doing quite well. Should be able to return to his home movie-verse in due time.) _

A human? So the rumors were true about a villain being allowed to live amongst the humans...which explains how he was able to hurt one there in the Real World. A memory clicked in Randall's mind, one that he'd almost forgotten about. He'd sat in the cafe here at the rehab center with a human girl that claimed to be here with a friend. Had SHE been the Guardian that this file was talking about?

The rest of the file that was NOT scratched read as: _Failed attempt in reforming. Residing in the Prison Tower. Memories of previous life have been erased._

Strange...Mickey don't want any record of Turbo having ever been to the Real World. He noticed that the bottom half of the paper had been ripped out, which made his curiosity only pique more. Randall placed the file back in the drawer where he'd found it and immediately went over to the trash can to dig around. As expected, the missing portion had been RECENTLY torn out, so it was still in Mickey's garbage. He unfolded the crumpled ball and smoothed it out over the top of the desk to read.

_Notes: The subject_ (who Randall assumed was Turbo) _has harmed a human in his stay in the Real World. Claimed to be protecting his Guardian, which was confirmed by her. Will have to undergo a trial- _

A trial? There had been no trial. Something must have happened to change Mickey's mind about this...but what?

There was nothing else written there so Randall didn't have anything else to go on. He knew he was in this mystery too deep, and he needed to decide if he was comfortable in getting directly involved. He COULD choose to pretend that he knew nothing about it and carry on about his day as planned...but he had a feeling that his conscience would haunt him in allowing such an injustice continue.

The large, reptilian monster sighed audibly before he pulled out the phonebook. "I'll let this Wreck-It Ralph fellow know what's going on, then I'm OUTTA here."

* * *

"I don't think we should the start the movie without the girls, Ralph."

The large wrecker groaned from his spot in the large armchair that he'd had moved into Felix's penthouse just so that he'd have a comfortable place to sit when he visited. "Felix, they're ten minutes late!" he argued back, pointing at the clock hanging on the wall. "If anything it'll teach them to be here on time. And we can always rewind the movie when they get here."

"If we're just going to rewind it, we might as well just WAIT on them," Felix pointed out gently as he sat on the couch next to Ralph's chair.

The movie's protagonist would have retorted back if not for his cell ringing in his pocket. _Wreck it, Wreck-It Ralph, as fast as you can! You know you can do it with your colossal hands! So don't let Fix-_

Ralph immediately silenced the song, grinning bashfully at Felix who simply had his head in his hand and shaking it. "Hehe, sorry, it's a catchy song!" he 'apologized' before getting up to lumber into the kitchen so he could take the call in private. "Hey-o!"

_"Uh, yes, this is Wreck-It Ralph, I presume?"_

Ralph furrowed a brow at the unfamiliar voice, and he slowly answered, "Yes...who's this?"

_"I'm Randall Boggs, from Monster's Inc. and Monster's University? I don't know if you've heard of me or not, but anyway that doesn't really matter."_ Ralph mouthed the name to himself, then shrugged since he had indeed never heard of him. _"Look, this might sound crazy, and I don't even know why I'm even getting involved, but I've found some stuff out about what happened with your villain."_

"My...villain?" Ralph repeated out loud in confusion just as Felix tiptoed into the room. They exchanged a silent conversation comprised of hand gestures and facial expressions, Felix wanting to know what was going on and Ralph not knowing what to tell him yet. "What about him?"

A knock on the door sounded and Felix excused himself silently to go answer that while Randall continued talking on the phone to Ralph.

_"I've found some...things. It turns out that he was protecting his 'guardian', whoever that is, and that he was supposed to have undergone a trial. Obviously, that didn't happen."_

In the background, Ralph could hear Felix greeting Gene at the door and then his bubbly voice saying, "Oh, and Ralph's on the phone, something about Turbo came up. Golly, hope this was all just a big misunderstanding that we can fix!"

"A trial?" Ralph took a few seconds to let that run through his head, trying to not eavesdrop on Felix's own conversation in the next room. "But...if he was supposed to have a trial, then didn't, that means..."

_"A cover up, is my guess,_" Randall finished for him. _"I'm not sure what's going on around here but something is definitely off about this. I think someone from your movie-verse is behind it actually. There was someone meandering around Disney World these last few months ranting about how villains are horrible and how he was jealous that the villain was more popular than him."_

Ralph seemed a bit shocked at that. "You think somewhere HERE framed Turbo? But...who on earth would do that?"

"Oh, is that so?" Gene could be heard saying from the next room. "Well...wouldn't THAT be an interesting situation...let's just go save the man and get this 'misunderstanding' taken care of, eh?"

_"Do you know anyone that's really short? Like, REALLY short, ridiculously so. With a cardigan? Tie? Oh, and he had a mustache. Ring any bells?"  
_

The wrecker's breath hitched in his throat, a cold sweat breaking out all over him. No, could it be? Could it be...

"Ralph, who are you talking to?"

The sudden voice made Ralph startle, nearly dropping the phone in the process. None other than Gene was standing there before him, his arms crossed as if he were judging Ralph for simply being in the kitchen.

"Oh, uh...hey, GENE," Ralph commented with a forced grin, emphasizing the name on purpose.

_"Wow, hey, Ralph, what's going on out there?"_ Randall was saying. _"Is that the guy?"_

"YEAH, I'm just talking to my good buddy, uh..." Ralph tried to think of a name to spit out that would make sense. "Sour Bill!"

He mentally slapped himself. Sour Bill, really?

Gene obviously wasn't buying it. "Oh really, so you and the guy that you threatened to lick to death are now on good terms?"

_"Look, just...get to Disney World somehow. I have a degree in engineering so I can figure out how the Memory Machine works. Plus I can camouflage myself and get Turbo out of prison without a problem. If you can't come, send someone you'd trust with your own life."_

Randall hung up the phone, leaving Ralph with only a dial tone to listen to. "Haha, guess the connection dropped," Ralph chuckled anxiously as he hung up his own end of the phone. "Uh...where'd Felix go?"

"He's a little tied up at the moment," Gene deadpanned as he continued to stand there with his arms crossed, the tension in the room thick as seaside fog. "Now who were you REALLY talking to? Sour Bill could hardly care about Turbo, and I know that's what you were discussing on the phone." The Nicelander glared his eyes into Ralph's, as if he were searching his soul. "Don't lie to me, Ralph."

"Hey, Stinkbrain, sorry I'm late!" Vanellope's youthful voice resounded in the penthouse. A loud gasp was then heard and then, "Felix, why are you all tied up? Are you and the Sarge playing some weird game?"

Ralph drew in a sharp breath as he glanced down at Gene, quickly backhanding him out of the way. "Vanellope, RUN!"

Gene, flew across the kitchen, smacking into a cabinet. He grunted in pain but he forced himself up, a dark look in his eyes. "You have messed with me for the LAST time, Ralph!"

"Ralph, Ralph, what's going on?!" Vanellope called out in curiosity as she glitched herself to the kitchen. Gene took his chance, grabbing a knife from the counter and hurling it in her direction. She gasped and quickly glitched out of its way, the knife getting stuck in the doorframe.

Ralph grabbed up Gene in his one big hand, easily wrapping it all the way around him. "Vanellope, go to Disney World's rehab center. A guy named Randall Boggs needs some help getting Turbo's memories back? Can you do that?"

Vanellope stood there in shock at what was going on, not having any knowledge of what had taken place before her arrival, and she ran out of the penthouse fast as she could. Ralph glared down at Gene and threw him down on the floor, not at full force, but just hard enough to hurt him anyway. "All right, Gene, you better have some answers for me NOW. What is going on here?!"

Gene coughed a bit, wheezing for breath as he reached into his cardigan for something. Ralph peered down at him, not able to fully see what he was doing from his tall height. It looked like some kind of device that he was punching something into like a telephone. "Hey, what are you doing!" Ralph demanded, reaching down to grab the little man again.

He was shocked when he felt his pixels separating momentarily, a dizzy spell coming over him as a multitude of colors and patterns washed into him. He felt like he was flying in the air, like Superman, only he couldn't sense anything around him to give him a hint of where he was going. The next thing he knew, he was reconfigured back into his regular shape, his hands patting at himself to make sure he was in one piece. "What the...?" He looked around at his new location. Somehow, he and Gene had managed to teleport to this place that Ralph had never been to before...yet he recognized it.

"Hey, this is the..." Ralph wagged a finger in place as he thought. "This is where..."

Gene huffed as he stood up and scrambled several yards away from Ralph. "This is the place under the Licorice Fields where the cybug in the movie laid its eggs," he reminded the wrecker.

The large underground cavern was devoid of all signs of life, the shells of the cybugs being the only hint that something had once lived here. The dark, yet warm nature of the cave was definitely the perfect hatching ground for the robotic insects.

"And I'm sorry, Ralph," the Nicelander uttered with absolutely no trace of an apologetic tone in his voice, "but I have to leave you here for now. You'll only be in the way later."

He started punching something else into his device, the one that teleported them here. Ralph's eyes widened in realization and he started running at full speed towards him, but it was too late. Within seconds, Gene had _blipped_ away...where, he did not know.


	74. A Tangled Web We Weave, Pt 2

_Yes, it was GENE! I think most everyone suspected him anyway but I didn't want to rush the reveal._

_And sorry about the lack of the usual "Blondie POV", but since everything is happening in Disney World right now and she's sorta stuck at home, I don't have much choice right now but to leave her out for a bit. She'll be back next chapter though I promise!  
_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

Vanellope's kart was parked just outside the Niceland building, and she had wasted no time hopping in and taking off. She didn't know what was going on with Gene, and she hoped Ralph was doing all right (_ah, ga-doi, of course he is, he's RALPH_). The ride through the electrical cord tunnel was usually bumpy for her due to the train tracks on the bottom of the cord, but that wasn't bothering her too much right now. All she cared about was getting to Game Central Station and activating the teleportation chamber so she could get to Disney World and meet up with that...what was his name? Something Boggs, she thought. Yeah that was it. Hopefully whoever Boggs was would be close by to where she wouldn't have to hunt him down, because she had NO clue who he was.

She accidentally ran over a zombie in her hurry (thankfully, not the one from Bad-Anon...she would've felt REALLY bad), but she didn't really have time to waste in stopping to see if a living dead guy was all right. Vanellope skidded to a halt, leaving tire marks in her wake and the lovely smell of burnt rubber in the air, before turning the kart off and hopping out. She kept a list of cheats in her hoodie pocket on how to get to certain places, a few she had figured out herself when she had been bored, and then some that Ralph had given her. Ralph was allowed certain codes seeing as how he was the movie's main protagonist.

Finally after punching in the Disney World code and hopping inside, it only took a few seconds before the doors of the machine opened and let Vanellope out into the halls of Disney World's rehab center. She had never been here before and the strange, foreign location made her a little hesitant to keep going, but she had to do this in order to help What's-His-Name get Turbo his memories back.

Funny, she never dreamed she'd be helping the guy who erased HER memories in getting his own back.

"Mr. Boggs?" she whispered, wringing her hands together as they stayed tucked into her hoodie. "Mr. Boggs?"

She thought she heard something behind her, and she quickly turned herself around and glitched herself. This caused the rather large, reptilian creature that had been hiding behind her to become visible, making him 'yowch!' in the process, and Vanellope made herself go back a few paces. She tilted her head a tad, watching as he shivered off the feeling of having been 'glitched' on. She wondered if it hurt or if it tickled when she did that to people. The people in her own movie-verse never seemed to notice it...maybe it only gave a sensation to people that were NOT in her movie.

"Whoa, what the fudge are YOU supposed to be?" she inquired a bit loudly, her hazel eyes widened to their full extent as she studied the being before her. "You're a big freakish lizard!"

The 'lizard' snorted at her choice of words, lowering himself to get a better look at her. "You're definitely NOT Wreck-It Ralph, that's for sure," he spoke to her in a tone that implied both annoyance and disappointment. He raised himself up to his full height and looked down at her, crossing both sets of arms across his chest. "But since you were out here saying my name like you knew me, I'll assume that he sent you."

"I'm Vanellope von Schweetz!" the little girl introduced herself with a twinkle in her eye that Randall didn't care for. Something about cheery kids got on his nerves. "And yeah, I'm here to help with the whole Turbo memory thing."

Randall's emerald eyes rolled up into his head. "Fine, I guess you must be somewhat useful for Ralph to make YOU come instead."

He started to walk away, which naturally infuriated the candy president. "Hey, for our information," she began, speedily catching up with him, "Ralphie was in the middle of battling the our resident mustachioed moron in Felix's kitchen! And-"

Randall stopped short when he heard this, and he quickly went down closer to Vanellope's eye level, making her gasp and glitch backwards a few inches from shock. "WHY didn't you SAY so? We don't have any time to waste!" He threw all four of arms in the air as if frustrated. "If that guy manages to escape Ralph, he might come HERE and stop us!"

Vanellope blinked a few times to clear her vision from having a giant reptile in her face so suddenly and then had to blink again when he grabbed her arm to get her to get moving. "Hey, I can walk MYSELF, y'know!" she protested as he kept a good grip on her arm with one of his gecko-like hands.

* * *

"I've never seen her before, you?"

"No," Mickey sighed to Oswald as he gazed at the mysterious brunette.

She was laying in a hospital bed in the Toon Town infirmary, a bandage wrapped around her head. The doctors were trying to decide how to get her bones realigned for her ankles, though everyone knew that she would need to get sent back to the Real World for proper care. Animated people don't have the same requirements as real ones do, after all. The nurses were all gossiping over who could've done such a terrible thing.

"Too bad she didn't have any identification with her," Oswald mused aloud as he took a sip of his coffee. "Geez, what if she'd DIED out there, Mick? We would've had a real mess then!"

The Mouse closed his eyes to reflect on that, rubbing at one of his ears. "I'm aware of that, Os..."

"Then why don't you do something to change the rules?" Oswald grabbed one of Mickeys shoulders to prompt him to open his eyes and look at him. The look the rabbit had on his face was gentle and lined with worry. "Look, bro, I know we haven't been close very long, but you can always talk to me about stuff."

Mickey looked into his eyes, knowing that he was indeed someone that he could trust. He'd trusted him with his very life more than once in the past, and he knew that out of everyone here that he was the go-to guy when it came for help. "Thanks, Oswald, I appreciate that. It's just been..." He rubbed at one eye with his palm. "It's just been so stressful lately."

"You mean with that villain guy hurting that human?" He _tsk'd _a few times and shook his head, bringing his coffee mug up to his lips. "Geez, becoming a dangerous trend, yeah?"

Mickey's sigh was so heavy that his shoulders slunk down. "But obviously it wasn't HIM that did THIS." He waved a gloved hand out at the nameless girl laying in the hospital bed, and then turned himself to leave the room entirely.

Oswald took another glance at the girl before following his younger half-brother out into the hallway, the two of them walking together. "Well, at least ya got ONE of them behind bars!" he tried to cheer him up, nudging Mickey's shoulder a tad.

Mickey stopped and looked down at the ground, his hands buried deep into his pockets. "Os...there's kind of a hidden story about that..."

* * *

Vanellope wished that SHE had invisibility powers. At least, she THOUGHT that's what Randall was doing. Maybe she could somehow figure out how to make herself invisible so she could prank Taffyta better. She grinned mischievously at the thought of the platinum blonde racer waking up with bright blue hair. Yeah...that would be so worth it.

She snapped back to attention when she heard the sound of a struggle, almost like someone getting strangled, and then a heavy _thud!_ Vanellope cringed and knelt down, not sure what had happened. After a few seconds of silence, she heard the faint jangling of keys in the air and then Randall himself appeared before her completely visible.

"Told ya I could get these with no problem," he smirked down at her as he held them above her head.

She gave him a little glare and she jumped up high, making her glitch activate in mid-leap, and grabbed them from him. She stuck her tongue out when he gave her a look of shock. "Yeah well how'd ya do it anyway? I heard these choking noises. What you do, kill the guard?"

She said it so bluntly that it unnerved him at first. He scowled down and grabbed the keys back from her. "Gee, kid, what kind of movie you from?" he jokingly asked. "And NO, I didn't kill him, I just put him out of commission for a while."

Vanellope opened her mouth to ask what THAT meant but after she followed him into the actual prison itself, she got her answer. The giant wolf that had been guarding the place was slumped over his desk, looking like he'd been knocked out cold. She gasped a bit, putting her hands to her mouth and her pixels vibrated their usual bright blue color before she scampered after Randall again, who was now going up the stairs to the top floor.

"I strangled him, before you ask," the reptilian monster answered her question before she could even get the words out. "I might have to do that with this Turbo guy if he gets to be too much of a handful."

Vanellope stopped walking, not having even reached the first step yet, when he said that. "Uh-oh...maybe I should wait downstairs..." She twirled one of her hoodie strings nervously, looking up at the ceiling. "He...KINDA wanted me dead in our movie, and he MIGHT go a little nuts if he sees me in his current state."

Randall blinked at her as if to decide if she were joking or not. The anxious look she was wearing seemed to suggest that she was being very serious. And THAT'S when the lightbulb in Randall's head went off. His razor-sharp teeth glinted just barely in the dim light, and he lowered himself again to her level, putting one set of his arms on her little shoulders.

"That gives me an idea," he smiled mysteriously, his eyes peering deep into her own, which had widened slightly. "Tell me exactly what I need to know about this guy and I might not have to drag his unconscious body out of here."

* * *

Gene looked around in all directions as he hid himself behind a giant, jagged rock in _Hero's Duty_. He hadn't wandered in very far, just far enough to get what he needed which he now possessed in a small backpack he was wearing. So far, no one had seen him...and he wanted to keep it that way. Hopefully the soldiers were off wasting their time playing cards or drinking at _Tapper_.

After having disposing of Ralph earlier, he had gone back to Felix's penthouse to see if he could trace the call that had come to Ralph's phone. Unfortunately, when a call from the Disney World offices is made to an outside number, it shows up as a generic office number and nothing special. It could have come from ANYONE in that case. It had been at that time that Sergeant Calhoun had walked in to see her precious husband all tied up and gagged on the couch. Unfortunately for HER, Gene was a much stronger individual than she.

See, when you're job title requires you to help lift up a 643 pound man multiple times a day, you HAVE to have some strength in you SOMEwhere.

After she'd been taken care of and Felix's penthouse locked up nice and tight, Gene knew that he would be too late to prevent anything about Turbo's escape. He was sure that little outcast girl would be there already with whoever that person was that Ralph had talked to on the phone. He couldn't recall the name...

He then decided that he needed a Plan B...one that required a brief trip to _Hero's Duty_. If he couldn't ruin Turbo by locking him away and taking his memories from him, then he'd make him miserable in ANOTHER way.

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

"Yo, Candy Man, rise and shine!"

The sound of some idiot banging a set of keys on my cell bars jolted me from a perfectly good sleep. I groaned in aggravation, lifting my weary eyes to the window. I've seen so many things in my life that even seeing the pointy-toothed grin of a dragon glaring at me did nothing to startle me. Fool, does he not know who he's messing with.

"Who are you?" I growled out at him, sitting up on the cot provided for me in this prison. Where was I anyway? Arcade Hell? I never knew such a place existed...

The dragon's grin only widened, a chilling sight if I had to admit to myself. "I'm your ticket out of this joint. I hear you're from this game called, uh, _Sugar Rush_?"

My eyes widened for a split second but I knew better than the trust someone simply for knowing one tiny fact about me. "What of it?"

The dragon rolled his eyes, something that irritated me. Those brat kids used to do that all the time in _Sugar Rush_ and it drove me INSANE. "Is that anyway to talk to the guy who has THESE?" He held up a keyring to the window to where I could see it, the keys lightly clinging against each other. "I'm willing to help but only if you play nice."

I sneered at him, spitting to the side of my cell. "NICE? You don't know who you're talking to. I NEVER play nice; I only play to WIN."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he dismissed me quickly, a quality that I HATE in a person. "Are you in or not?"

I observed him suspiciously. "Why do you want to help me? How do you even KNOW me?"

I could've sworn I heard him mutter something like "good grief" under his breath, but I'm not sure. "Let's just say I've heard a lot about you. How you took over that game, kicked out the rightful ruler,-"

"I AM the RIGHTFUL ruler!" I barked at him, my fists clenching into the sides of this horrendous orange jumpsuit. "That little brat ruined EVERYTHING for me! Her and that-"

"Dude, lay off the yelling," the dragon interrupted me in that slightly sarcastic tone of his. "It's just us, so pipe down. The point is that I've heard of you and," he shrugged casually, "I'm impressed."

He flashed me a grin, a disturbing thing to behold. "What kind of game are you from?" I had to wonder, tilting my head a bit. "I've never seen you around the arcade before. If that's where we even ARE."

I saw him blink a couple of times before answering. "It's a game where monsters like me scare little kids. The more we scare them, the more en...uh, POINTS you rack up."

I lowered my eyes at him. "Oh, so you're a GOOD GUY."

It was his turn to lower his eyes at ME. "Uh, if I remember, YOU used to be a good guy too...in your OLD game?"

Bah, curses. He was right. I hate it when people are right...unless that person is ME.

"Plus, hey check it out," he began before he disappeared completely. "Invisibility powers. Nice, huh?"

My eyes widened up and I have to admit...I was rather jealous. Invisibility powers would come in handy more than one would think. I stood up and walked slowly towards the door, rubbing my palms together. "Hey, you think maybe you could...maybe let me take a peek at your code and let me figure out how to give MYSELF that ability?"

The dragon smiled at me again, something I wished he'd quit doing. "Of course...but first we have to get YOU out of here and get back to the arcade, right?"

Yes...home, home to Litwak's...it would be so nice to see it again. However...

"What's in it for YOU, I must ask?" I inquired of my new partner in crime.

"Let's just say, I'd like to learn from the BEST."

You know what...I like this guy.


	75. Said the Spider to the Fly

_"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,_  
_ 'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;_  
_The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,  
And I've a many curious things to shew when you are there."  
_

_"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,  
For who goes up your winding stair  
-can ne'er come down again.__"_

_-Mary Howitt, 1829_

* * *

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

"Ugh! What is the _deal_!" I yelled as I slammed the phone down on its holder for the umpteenth time. "Is my number _blocked_ now or something?!"

This entire last hour of my life has been a _waste_. I have tried calling every number to Disney World I had used before, yet I get _no answer_. I gritted my teeth and counted to ten before plopping down on the couch. What a drag, I finally am prepared for some action, and I can't even _get _to the place where the action's located!

Like, I had a plan anyway. What was I supposed to do, just waltz up into Disney World and ask nicely that they return Turbs' memories back because that would be _ever so nice_ of them to do. Pfffbt. Please. If only things were that easy.

I sighed and looked over at the little black box that held my engagement ring...I felt almost guilty opening it now, because I'm certain that was supposed to be a surprise. Oh well, I can still _act_ surprised when he gives it to me officially. Then again, knowing me, I'll probably 'accidentally' mention that I found it or something.

I blew a raspberry at my ceiling, completely out of ideas. I couldn't very well ask anyone I knew to get me to Disney World, as it required either flight or direct teleportation to get to it. My gung-ho from earlier was beginning to wane; I started getting a sense of hopelessness again. Even if it were possible for Turbs to get his memories back, apparently I'll never know because I can't even _get_ back there.

"Too bad someone can't conveniently show up that _can_ get me there," I muttered to myself in despair.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

I sat up at the sound, my brows furrowed. I wasn't expecting company, and believe me I was _not_ going to widely open up my door again like I idiotically did that night with Guy. Oh, Guy? Yeah...he didn't exactly "break and enter", nor was there any evidence that he hurt me...the only thing that showed signs of a struggle was the knot on the back of his head from the "mysterious stranger" that saved me. So they didn't have charges to press on him...which means he got away with it...and went home.

_I lost my boyfriend because of this idiot_.

_However_, I _did_ get a restraining order put on him so all is not lost.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Oh yeah, the door.

I got up, subconsciously running a hand through my hair. This bizarre thought occurred to me that perhaps Turbo would be standing there, telling me that he got his memories back or that perhaps it had all been a bad joke gone wrong. I'd punch his face in if all my misery had been for the sake of a joke, but of course I knew that I was only having delirious fantasies. Of course he wouldn't be at the door. This isn't fiction, after all, it's reality.

With bated breath, I grabbed the door handle with one hand and flipped the deadbolt in order to unlock the door. As I slowly opened it, I peeked out through the crack to see if I could visualize who was there...and saw no one. I furrowed my brow in confusion until I heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, prompting me to look down. _Way_ down.

"Gene?" I blinked at him in shock, allowing myself to open the door wider. "What are _you_ doing here?"

The mustachioed Nicelander had to crane his head up a good bit in order to look me in the eyes, his facial expression that of concern. "Sorry to be bothering you, ma'am," he began politely, his hands clasped in front of him. "Is it okay if I come in?"

Now Gene's my least favorite character in _Wreck-It Ralph_, but I had to remember that not everyone acts the way they do in the movie once it's over. For all I know, Gene could be the nicest person in his movie-verse (besides Felix, anyway). Oh, and he had a backpack on, which I thought was strange, but I guess since he doesn't have pockets (from what I can tell anyway), he needed something to travel with in case of an emergency. Whatever.

"Yeah, sure," I told him, backing up a bit so that he could let himself in.

He adjusted his tie and came in, and I had to stifle a laugh because even in the Real World, he still walks all stiff and jerky like an 8-bit character. I shut the door, locked it, and had to stifle even more giggles at watching him try to get on my couch, removing the backpack for a moment for comfort reasons. Those poor people! I never thought about how hard normal life would be for them when visiting a place that isn't proportionate to their size.

"So what's up?" I asked as I strolled my way over to sit down beside him. My mind went back to the r-i-n-g that I had stuffed back into the couch cushion for the time being.

Gene sighed and twiddled his thumbs for a moment before looking over at me, his eyes filled with sadness. This made me a bit uncomfortable, since I'm so used to viewing Gene in a molasses-hole sort of way.

"It's about Turbo," he said softly, and I felt my heart constrict painfully. "He...isn't too well. The erasure made him go literally insane."

I felt my breath hitch, my hand going to my heart. "What do you mean? What all has he done?"

Gene sighed and shook his head. "Trust me, you don't want to know," he informed me. "Mickey decided he was too much of a danger to even keep in the prison. They're-" He cleared his throat and composed himself for a second, which really freaked me out. "They're going to execute him."

The room spun when he said that, and I had to grab at the back of the couch to keep myself from falling over.

"No," I muttered in disbelief, my eyes clouding over in my state of grief. "No, they can't..."

"I'm afraid it was an unanimous vote by the council," Gene softly responded. I knew he was referring to Mickey and the others that he had in charge of Disney World. "They're planning it for in the morning."

The thought of my Turbs no longer existing even in a physical state made me crack. I held my face in my hands and sobbed to myself, not even caring that someone was watching me. It wasn't fair! I had just now remembered that the erasure process could be reversed!

Gene sat there in silence as I let out all my tears, which I was grateful for. I at last composed myself enough to ask, "I...I know he doesn't remember me, but...," I sniffed, wiping my eyes on my forearm, "I can't just let them kill him. He's still...he's still _Turbs_..."

He nodded and he reached over to hold a hand of mine. "That's why I'm here. See, I learned that not all bad guys are...well, _bad_, so to speak. I saw Turbo had changed during his time here and think it isn't right to kill him when he was only doing the right thing: saving you." He let go of my hand and he hopped back down to the floor. "So I decided I'd help you out."

I blinked through my tears at him. "R-really?" I felt a little ray of sunshine in this hopeless situation, clasping my hands together over my heart. "You'd really help?"

He shrugged with a little smile. "Yeah, sure. I wouldn't be offering it if I didn't mean it."

Wow, Gene's really not that bad of a dude. I feel kind of awkward now since I've always hated his guts before.

"Thanks, Gene, this is the best news I've had in days," I admitted to him. "I was thinking I'd never see him again _ever_."

He waved a dismissive hand at me. "Nah, don't go thanking me yet. We're not even in Disney World, plus we got to figure out how to get his memories back and all."

"Yeah...how'd you get here anyway?" I had never even thought about it until now.

Gene blinked then he chuckled at me the way that a parent does to their child when they ask a silly question. "Oh, Mickey started assigning people some of those handheld teleporter devices to use," he explained as he pulled out from his cardigan what I recognized to be Mickey's personal device. "It's in the beta stage right now, but hopefully most characters get one if it works well."

Huh...that seems a little dangerous to let _everyone_ have one of those things, but maybe only the "good" characters can have one. "Good" meaning the characters who act well-behaved in their post-movie lives. Too bad Turbo couldn't have one...maybe it was because he was still on probation or whatever.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked him as I jumped up off the couch in a moment of enthusiasm. "Let's get going!"

Gene got his device ready (that's so weird that he got chosen to have one...oh well) before grabbing onto my hand and then _blip_! In about five seconds, we were in Disney World! I could practically taste the victory that would be mine once I got Turbs freed and restored back to normal.

Hey, wait a minute...

"Isn't this Mickey's office?" I asked in confusion, taking a good look around at my location.

"Yes...it _is_," Gene replied in the creepiest voice I'd ever heard. When I turned around, I gasped at him rearing his arm back like a baseball player, a rock in his hand, and then-

_Bonk!_

_"Owwwwwwww!"_

My hands flew to my now throbbing forehead, and Gene took the opportunity to lunge himself at my legs to knock me down on the ground. Panicked, I started trying to wrestle him off of me, but he's got way more strength than I had bargained him to have.

"What are you doing?!" I screeched at him as he started pulling out some rope amidst all the wrestling. "Get off of me!"

He backhanded me so hard that I saw stars for a few seconds. It was a long enough time for him to tie me up by my hands and feet, his breathing coarse and heavy now. "I'm getting rid of the competition, _that's _what I'm doing!" he growled at me as he tightened the knots. "All these months...that maniac Turbo has been one of the more popular characters of our movie. Yet no one pays any attention to _me_!"

I had to scoff a laugh even in this bizarre predicament. "Dude, you were the first primary antagonist shown in the film, so we had the entire movie to hate you. Not to mention, you never apologize to Ralph, and you 'subtly' hint for him to kill himself when you told him to stay in the penthouse alone while the game gets unplugged!"

"That's not _my_ fault, is it?" He bit at me, slapping his hands together once he was done. "It was all 'scripted' after all. Besides, I _could_ have apologized and the writers just opted not to show it! But that _Turbo_? He tries to directly kill everyone in his line of sight, but everyone just _loves_ him!"

His face was turning redder the more he talked, his rage very apparent. I was legitimately scared to death of him, especially since I wasn't even able to defend myself at the moment. The gears in my head turned and all of a sudden a lot of the things that had been happening to me and Turbo over the last few months made a _lot_ of sense.

"It was _you_!" I gasped out loud. "You're the one that told muscular bozo to attack me in Florida, and then sent my ex over to my apartment earlier this week!"

"Yes," he replied darkly. "It was me. I wanted Turbo to go back to prison where he belonged. Where _all_ the villains belong."

"But...what does erasing his memories have to do with anything?" I had to ask. "He can't exactly suffer being away from the Real World if he doesn't even remember it."

Gene laughed cruelly, a really eerie sound if you ever hear it. "No, but it was so fun replaying the video that recorded the erasure. The screaming, the begging..." He sighed almost blissfully. "It was music to my ears to hear him cry."

I glared at him evilly, tears starting to form in the corners of my eyes. "You sick monster!" I snapped at him acidly.

"Oh ho ho, _I'm _the sick monster?" he asked me in a sweetly sarcastic voice. "He's the one that abuses little children and tries to outright murder people, but _I'm _the sick monster? Boy, you humans are so messed up." He cracked his knuckles a bit before pulling out a large rag and gagging me with it. "In case you're wondering why I really brought you here, there _are_ a few infiltrators trying to get Turbo his memories back...but once I kill you in front of him, there will be no need for him to stay good anymore and then he'll go _really _insane, which will then prompt a _real _execution on his behalf."

_What_? _Kill_ me?!

He grabbed at my neck of my shirt and started dragging me out the door, with me struggling the entire time. How is he so _strong_? I guess picking up Ralph and throwing him off a building all the time means that he has pre-programmed super strength?

"Don't worry, you won't be alone in death," he calmly proceeded to tell me. "Your body can keep that of your best friend's company while at Mickey Junk Mountain."

My eyes popped open and I whined in shock. Bestie! Oh my_ God_, he killed Bestie?! I _really_ started to struggle then, but it was no use. I could only hope that this nightmare had an escape path out of it.

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

Being outside of my cell was a new experience...though I vaguely remember being thrown inside, I don't recall what the rest of the environment looked like. I had never been anywhere like this before, and I felt the need to keep my guard up. The fact that my new dragon buddy was also on his guard made me worry that perhaps this place was hostile.

Hehe, well if anyone messes with ME, they will soon learn the meaning of "true hostility". A game-wrecking virus and a dragon sounds like a team you DON'T want to mess with. Except that once I'm able to code myself with invisibility powers like HE has, I'll just ditch him and take over any game I want all by myself. He would probably just stab me in the back anyway later on, might as well get rid of him once I get what I want out of him.

"We have to be really quite out here," the dragon whispered to me as he crept around just ahead of me. I normally would protest being stuck in the back, but since he seemed to know his way around, I decided it would be smarter to let him lead for now. Plus, that way if someone around the corner starts shooting at us, HE'LL get hit and not me.

"Yeah, yeah, how do we get back to the arcade?" I whispered back to him, my eyes darting around every which-a-way. "I'm not even sure how I got here."

"I'll show you when we get there," was the dragon's reply to me. "Just concentrate on being stealthy right now."

I bared my teeth at him even though he couldn't see. Ohhhh, buddy...I am SO deleting you once we get to Litwak's and I steal your invisibility powers...

We finally made it to another hallway, and the dragon (I should probably learn his name, right?...naaah) stopped to make himself invisible for a moment. "I'll go in first to make sure it's safe; you stay here and keep an eye out," he instructed me.

I narrowed my eyes at being bossed around like this, but I opted to let it slide for now. He's soon learn who was really in charge here. A few seconds crawled by and I saw the door up ahead open up on its own, supposedly because the dragon was doing it. Another few seconds rolled by, and he made himself visible again, waving at me to follow him with one of his four arms.

I flicked my head around to make sure no one was around, and then quickly followed him into what looked to be a sterile room with only two things in it: a chair and then some piece of mechanical machinery I had never seen before.

"The heck is that thing?" I asked out loud once we were safely alone and able to talk freely. I walked over to examine it. It appeared to have eyepieces attached to it, whatever it was.

The dragon cleared his throat before answering. "That's how you...travel between worlds," he answered me. "You have to sit in that chair and let the machine absorb you, then it travels you back to where you came from."

I noticed a slight hint of uncertainty in his voice, and I narrowed my eyes. "Oh really?" I asked him, running a finger over the cool metal of the bizarre machine. "In that case, YOU get in it."

I turned my head over my shoulder only to see him-

THWACK!

I shut my eyes and reeled backwards, crashing to the floor when he unexpectedly tail-whipped me. I growled loudly when I hit the floor, and I opened my eyes only to see that he'd disappeared on me.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll show yourself, DRAGON!" I snarled, rubbing my backside as I got up. "And when I get my hands on you, I'm going to wring your ugly, scaly neck until you tell me what you REALLY want from me!"

"Hey, I was trying to be nice," he told me, from where I did not know. "But since you wouldn't cooperate and get in the chair, I have to do things MY way, apparently."

I felt him slap me again, my whole head going whipping backwards as I stumbled back a few steps. Oh, I was getting REAL mad now!

"I'm going to MURDER YOU!" I spat at him, looking around wildly like I was some trapped animal. I didn't like this, I didn't like it at all. I wish I was still in my giant bug body, even though I didn't have much control over it. At least THEN I could have a chance to win this thing...can't very well go wrong in a giant, killing machine's body.

"We'll see about that!" I heard before I felt something large and slightly cold start wrapping itself around me to choke me. I clawed at whatever was around me, I'll assume it was the dragon himself, and I felt myself lose consciousness before I fell to my knees. After a few seconds, he released me, and I gasped for air before he dragged me towards the chair that he had tried to get me to sit in.

"You traitor!" I tried to fight him, but that strangling he had given me had really weakened me. I watched in horror as some straps in the chair began to slap themselves around me, knowing that it was the invisible backstabbing LIZARD that was doing it. I tried to jerk myself free but it was impossible to do so. What kind of madness had I gotten myself into know.

The dragon made himself visible again, all of his four arms crossed in front of him, and he was shaking his head at me. "Geez, you really need to control that temper of yours, pal."

My eyes flared up, and I bared my teeth at him. "I am NOT your PAL! You TRICKED me!"

I heard a girlish giggle at that time, and I felt my insides freeze. I KNEW that giggle...

"Boy, you really fell for that one!" said none other than the bane of my existence, who popped up out of nowhere beside the dragon. "You looked like a bozo fighting against the air like that!"

THE GLITCH.

"YOU?!" I bellowed out in anger, my whole body shaking with hatred for the little fatheaded BRAT. "This must be YOUR doing! You couldn't get rid of me with that precious volcano of yours so you hired this DRAGON to come and finish me off!"

She gave me a puzzled look and then rolled her eyes. "Gee, I forgot what a psycho you used to be."

Used to be...?

"You haven't seen anything yet, GLITCH! When I get out of here, I'm going to break your code so hard that you'll wish that you'd never even HEARD of racing! And then I'll make it to where you get deleted PERMANENTLY!"

The dragon blinked at me, and then pointed one finger in my direction. "Okay, YOU...are freaking me out, and that's really hard to do."

He walked to where I couldn't see him anymore, then I heard the sound of the glitch doing her glitch thing to supposedly follow him. "HEY! HEY! You can't just leave me in here! Get back here!"

* * *

"Told ya, he hated me," Vanellope whispered to Randall as they went over to some cabinets that were built into the wall behind the chair that Turbo was screaming from.

"Yeah, no joke," the reptile replied, opening one door to look around. "I just need to find his memory vial, install it into the machine, flip the switch to 'reverse', then activate it."

"Sounds a lot easier than resetting a game," the little girl commented a bit wryly.

"Ha, here it is!" Randall exclaimed, as he dug out the small crystal tube with his name on it. The memories were a very light, pale blue color, bearing a smoky like appearance.

"Where WHAT is?" Turbo was demanding, not able to see what they were doing. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Randall rolled his eyes, muttering something about 'yes, your highness' under his breath. He went over to the main control panel and turned on the machine, the whole thing making a humming sound as it came to life. Vanellope watched as he inserted the memory vial into a slot to the right hand side of it, then he flipped a small black switch that said "reverse" on it.

"How do you know how to use this?" she asked him out of curiosity.

"I had to undergo this process when I was filming the prequel to my original movie," he explained bluntly without looking at her, messing with other buttons and switches as he talked. "I stayed invisible for a while and watched Mickey use this thing just because I was bored." He shrugged and added, "Good thing I did, because otherwise King Crazy would be like THIS forever."

* * *

**Turbo's POV**

The machine in front of me roared itself out of its slumber, its glowing eyes piercing right into my code. What was it to do to me? I didn't dare believe what the dragon had said about it being able to take me back to the arcade. The glitch's appearance only assured me that this was my true death, that I would not be regenerating after this. I had gotten lucky in surviving that giant bug AND a volcano.

Fine...I can at least die with some dignity. I'm not going to give them the pleasure of watching me squirm and beg for my life. If that's what they're after, then they will be SORELY disappointed.

The machine's eyes opened up, then pressed themselves into mine. Even with my eyes shut, I could still see the bright lights that glowed from them. I couldn't help but imagine the blinding, scorching light of the volcano's lava as I unwillingly flew into it...and that's when the pain began. It felt like my brain was on fire, like it was swelling against the confines of my skull. I didn't think I could handle it; I had to bite down hard to keep from screaming.

Images...pieces of conversations began to rush into me...things I had...forgotten?

* * *

_A late night in a grassy, slightly suburban area...knocking on a door...a girl answered, no a grown lady yet still young-ish..._

_"So you really don't have anywhere to go then?" _Her voice sounded familiar...

_"Nope. Your door was the first one I came to."_

A cold evening...winter...a front porch.._.._

_"You can...you can think of __me_ as family..."

_"You're the only friend I have here. I don't know much about how the real world works and you're the only person I have to ask."_

_The mouse...MICKEY...the contract... _

_"And all I have to do is sign this thing and I stay out of prison?"_

_"What kind of homework __is_ this?"

_...Disney movies...essays...I had to write essays...  
_

_Fighting...a beach...hospital..._

_"I love you, just PLEASE wake up already." _

_"I love you too..."_

_"I'm a sociopathic serial killer. Even if it WAS scripted, it doesn't change anything. I still DID those things and my programmed personality had no problem with it."_

_Scripted...it was scripted...Vanellope told me that..._

_"I think I should apologize."_

_A short, portly man with glasses...he...helped me get a car?_

_ "I need a new driving teacher. My regular partner quit and I can't think of anyone better to take his place than you!"_

_A JOB...I was going to school..._

_A different man...he was hurting HER...I had to help..._

_"What have you DONE!"_

_"I'm sorry! I...I heard you screaming and...and I just...I couldn't..."_

_"I'm afraid that your actions in the Real World justify having your time there obliterated from your mind."_

_No...no..._

_A diamond ring...the light burned bright like a diamond ring flashing in the sun..._

_And then I saw her again...her sad eyes like emeralds..."Don't go, stay here!"_

_I...remember...her name was-_

* * *

The light went away, and I opened my eyes...I blinked to focus and saw Vanellope standing there just ahead of me, gazing at me with a worried expression on her face.

"Turbo?" she asked me quietly, her hands visibly wringing together in her hoodie's pocket. "You okay?"

I blinked again, my muscles relaxing. My head swam as I tried to piece together what had happened. "V-Vanellope?" I asked groggily. "What...what happened to me?" I tried to look around but found that I was literally strapped down to a chair. "Where's Blondie?"


	76. Calm Before the Storm

**One Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time**

After scanning the mysterious brunette's fingerprints into a multi-universe database, the Toon Town Infirmary was able to determine her name and other such important details. She was shipped back home and taken to a Real World hospital where she was able to get the proper care and attention.

Mickey sat outside on a bench, staring down at the sidewalk beneath his dangling feet, while Oswald came to sit beside him. "Well, they said she'll be all right now that she's where she belongs."

The Mouse sighed and nodded, twiddling his thumbs. "We'd ALL probably be all right if we were where we belonged. I should've just let Turbo stay in the Real World like he wanted...he'd been doing so well there, and I shouldn't have done what I did to him and the girl."

"Well...I mean, you can't ignore that he hurt someone, but seeing as how he did it for a good reason, I don't see what the big deal is," Oswald had to admit, resting his hands behind his head. "I mean, all the heroes around here had to hurt the villain in one way or another in order to saved THEIR loved one. Like Prince Philip stabbing Maleficent in the heart, or Prince Eric ramming that shipwreck into Ursula, or-"

"Okay, o-KAY, I get what you're saying," Mickey grumbled out loud, rubbing his fingers against his temples. "I'll restore his memories and do things the RIGHT way, have a chat with Pete and the others about it." He sighed deeply. "I was just so worried about what Gene was saying, y'know? Like...people thinking I'm incompetent to run Disney World if I don't take firm action."

Oswald frowned and he moved his hand to rest on his brother's shoulder. "Mickey, we all mistakes...you can't blame yourself for everything that doesn't go smoothly. And all of us here are willing to forgive you for any slip-ups or some questionable choices. You've been running things around here since FOREVER, and we wouldn't want anyone else to do it."

He and Mickey shared a brotherly smile between them. "Thanks, Os," the Mouse told him gratefully. "I'm really glad you're around to talk to now."

Oswald punched him in the shoulder. "Yeah, well who else is gonna keep you in line? Can't let all that power get to your head, after all."

* * *

**Turbo's POV**_  
_

_"Where's Blondie?"_

I felt so disoriented...my memories felt like someone had taken them all and thrown them in the wash, then gave them back to me before they were dry. I couldn't even remember the last thing I'd done...

Vanellope, who was here for reasons I am not aware of, started skipping in place with her typical grin slapped on her face. "Yippee, you're back to normal!"

"Normal?" I mumbled as I tried to sort through all the noise in my head. "What...?"

Someone released me from the straps that were holding me down to this chair...the CHAIR! This was the chair Mickey the rat tied me to to take away my memories!

"NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM!" I started screaming, grabbing the throat of whoever the heck this was that was unstrapped me. Some freakish giant purple lizard thing. He started gagging, his forked tongue hanging out, and he began pushing back against me with his FOUR arms. Yeah, he had FOUR arms, how weird is THAT?

"Hey, hey, HEY!" the lizard hollered at me, throwing me down on the floor and slapping me across the face with his whip-like tail. He rubbed his neck where I'd grabbed him and glared down at me from up above. "I RESTORED your memories, you cretin!"

I blinked and glanced at Vanellope, who was clucking her tongue at me in disapproval and shaking her head. "Is that any way to say thanks, Turbutt?"

My head swam, and I held the side of it in an attempt to make it stop. The lizard heaved a frustrated sigh before grabbing my other hand and hoisting me up to my feet. "The nausea and dizziness will wear off in a few minutes, and your memories will probably feel a little disorganized for a few EXTRA minutes," he explained to me in the most monotonous way possible. "Long story short, Mickey erased your memories, you turned into a crazy tyrant, the kid and I tricked you in here, and now you're back to normal."

I let that process for a moment before nodding. "Yeah...I remember something about being locked up now," I stated slowly, still rubbing my head. "The last thing I actually remember is Mickey explaining how that machine worked."

Vanellope gasped out loud and her eyes grew wide, then she started glitching around as she talked, her hands moving a mile a minute in various hand gestures. "Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, I completely forgot! GENE! Gene was hurting Ralph and had Hammer Time all tied up in the living room, and Ralph told me to come here and help Randall get your memories back, and then I came here and then-"

Randall (I guess that was the lizard's name...wait, have I heard that name before?) slapped his bottom right arm over her mouth to silence her. "Wait, Gene? That's the name that Ralph said over the phone when I talked to him, then I'D said that I was going to come wait on him to get here, but YOU showed up instead."

I was out of the loop, obviously, and I shook my head and waved my arms out in front of me. "Whoa, whoa, STOP. What does GENE have to do with this? I haven't seen him since that one time I went to visit the arcade."

Randall tilted his head at me. "And what exactly did he say to you then? Anything crazy?"

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Gene's ALWAYS crazy. He said he didn't believe that I'd changed and some mess about my now-girlfriend being stupid for liking me."

Vanellope started giggling, hiding her grin poorly behind her hand. "You and her...sittin' in a tree...k-i-s-s-i-n-"

"OKAY, that's enough," I snapped at her, annoyed and embarrassed. "Or I'll tell Sonic about your little crush on him."

She gasped at me, shuddering a single wave of binary at the same time. "You wouldn't dare! He'll think I'm a dumb little kid!"

Randall leaned down a bit over her with a fierce look in his eyes. "You ARE a little kid, Miss Candy Land." He straightened back up and flicked his tail out behind him. "Actually, BOTH of you are acting little brats."

"Who ARE you, anyway?" I had to ask, crossing my arms in front of me. "I don't like getting involved with people I don't know."

"Hey, I got involved in YOUR business, and I have no clue who YOU are," he griped at me, looking a little offended.

"One has to wonder WHY," I countered back, raising a brow at him.

I could see Vanellope look back and forth between us out of the corner of my eye. The Randall guy curled the tip of his tail before saying, "Maybe I got involved because I was curious. Maybe I got involved because I know how it feels to get hammered on for things that aren't completely your fault." He shrugged as if that ended the subject. "I'm Randall Boggs, by the way, of _Monster's Inc."_

Randall BOGGS, I KNEW that name! Blondie mentioned it back in the summer...something about him being her favorite villain before I came along. I felt a wave of nauseating jealousy sink into me, even though of course I had nothing to worry about. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

"Great, now that we're all introduced FORMALLY," Vanellope began, looking a little frustrated, "We need to get back to our movie-verse and save Stinkbrain and everyone else!"

"Stinkbrain?" I heard Randall curiously repeat, yet I decided to ignore him.

"Save everyone from GENE?" I wanted to confirm with her. When she bounced her head up and down, I had to laugh. "Kid, what on earth could he have possibly done to Wreck-It? The guy is like 7 feet taller than him."

"He IS rather short," added you-know-who.

Vanellope was looking more and more aggravated at us. "You didn't see him in action though! He threw a KNIFE at my HEAD!" She pointed both her fingers towards either side of her skull for emphasis. "I mean, I know I would've just come back anyway since I'm a reusable character and all, but STILL!"

"AGAIN, I doubt he was able to lay a finger on Ralph," I reiterated my earlier phrase. "But if you're THAT worried, we'll go check it out, but FIRST I would like to let my girlfriend at least know that I'm fine."

The giant lizard that was still hanging out with us for some reason snorted in amusement at that. "You mean that blonde chick? She actually DATES you?"

"I know, hard to believe, huh?" snickered Vanellope, earning herself a big glare from ME.

"Okay, ENOUGH," I growled impatiently. "Let's just get out of this room and quit wasting time already. I feel like bigger things are happening elsewhere."

Randall cleared his throat to get our attention. "Actually, I think I'm gonna split," he said, rubbing the top of his head. "This has been loads of fun and all, but I don't want to get any more involved than I already am."

I felt a little annoyed that he'd ditch us when things were really getting heated, but I had to remember that he DID risk a lot in order to get my memories back...more than I might have done for a complete stranger.

"Well, thanks for the help," I told him, sticking my hands in my...wait a minute, this isn't my suit! This is that tacky orange prison suit! UGHHHH!

He waved one of his arms at me and smirked, showing off a few of those pointy teeth that I'd rather not get too close to. "Nah, don't mention it. Was a nice distraction from my normal everyday life." He quit smiling for a brief second and gave me a deadpan look. "Seriously, don't mention it. I don't need 'breaking and entering' or 'aiding a criminal' tacked onto my reputation."

"But you're a Disney villain too!" Vanellope piped up, throwing her arms in the air. "Wouldn't people expect you to do that stuff anyway."

"Ouch," I muttered.

"I'm a PIXAR-slash-Disney villain," he corrected her with a hiss, his little hands clenching up as he said it. "We're looked down upon even by other villains, so I don't want any attention drawn to my name, see?"

The kid had her eyes more bugged out than they normally are, and she shrank down just a bit, a nervous grin of apology on her face. Before either of us had any chance to say anything, Randall vanished and exited the room. I know he left because the door opened and then slammed shut "on its own".

"Sheesh, what's the big deal?" Vanellope asked me, stuffing her hands back into her hoodie. "He's still a Disney villain right?"

I groaned lightly at the question, not in the mood to get into this. "Kid, I don't know, let's just go save your friends since you were SO worried about it, and THEN...I am visiting my girlfriend." I looked down at my clothes again and corrected myself. "Wait, FIRST I want my normal clothes back..."

She gave me an amused look before heading towards the door. "Yeah, yeah, you just wanna smooch and all that other mushy stuff. You're as bad as Felix and Sergeant Smiles."

"Hey, don't knock it 'til ya try it," I retorted back as I followed her out into the hallway. "Oh wait...you're not old enough!" I added mockingly, chuckling to myself.

"If that was supposed to be a burn, it didn't work."

* * *

**Blondie's POV**

Getting dragged around by the scruff of my shirt by this little pipsqueak of a jerk was not my idea of a good time. My shirt was riding up in the back, and the carpet was burning my skin which only made the journey more agonizing than it already was. Not to mention the ropes were chafing my wrists; I was thankful that I had opted to wear socks and tennis shoes, so my ankles were still in decent condition.

The gag in my mouth was wet and gross, making me wish to spit it out yet of course I couldn't. I wondered what Gene was planning on doing with me...he'd said he was going to kill me, and I couldn't help but imagine _how_ he was going to accomplish it. I started to tear up, wishing desperately that someone would show up and help.

As if a genie had somehow mentally heard my wish, Randall Boggs came around the corner where I could see him but Gene couldn't. My eyes widened at him when he stopped short, staring at us for a brief second before he disappeared. I felt my heart drop, not knowing what his purpose was in doing this.

A few minutes later, I felt a rush of wind go past me, and Gene shouted in surprise before flying forward a few feet. My eyes furrowed, not understanding what had happened, but then I felt a pair of chill, dry reptilian hands on me removing my gag. Randall! He was saving me!

"He said he's gonna kill me!" was the first thing I blabbed out once I was able to talk.

"Just hang on a sec," he told me before he started using his teeth to rip at the ropes around my wrists.

I heard Gene growl from behind me, and he blindly threw himself at where Randall just happened to be. I heard the monster "oof!", and the impact from the Nicelander caused him to become visible again. I grit my teeth and began wriggling out of my loosened binds, hoping to get my wrists free so I could get to my ankles.

In the meantime, Gene had his grubby hands around Randall's neck and was choking the life out of him; I could see that Randall was having a difficult time defending himself thanks to Gene's freakish strength helping him out.

"I bet it was _you_ that I sensed following me around these last few months!" he spat out as Randall's eyes rolled back in his head.

I finally got my wrists freed, throwing the rope off to the side before working on my ankles. Hopefully I could get freed before Gene _killed_ the guy, though I'm not sure if he's even able to die or not. Whether or not a character can die permanently still seems like a fuzzy rule to me, though Turbo did tell once that he _could_ die for real. Maybe not in his own movie-verse though, kinda like how Vanellope can't die in _Sugar Rush _in the movie itself, for example.

Wait, why am I trying to analyze all of this right now?

I at last worked the rope off from around my ankles, kicking it off out of my way, and I wasted no time grabbing at Gene from behind to yank him off of Randall. The monster had passed out from being strangled at this time and there wasn't much I could do for him now, nor anything he could do for _me_, which was a crying shame.

Gene shoved me off of him and he threw me against a wall, making me cry out in pain as I fell to the floor. It wasn't as hard as it would've been if, say, Ralph had thrown me, but it still freakin' hurt all the same. I picked my head up, rubbing my backside, and saw Gene reach for his backpack with one hand to swing it off of him.

"I was going to wait a little while longer, but I think now is a good enough time to show you exactly what I plan on doing," he snarled at me as he unzipped the pack.

My eyes grew large as he held in both hands a large, very familiar green-and-black orb...

A cybug egg.


End file.
